


Sam and Bucky Quarantine Stories

by ObviouslyOtter



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Natasha lives upstairs, Sam is Sick, and dare I say... lover, bucky is a good friend, quarantine buddies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23870398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObviouslyOtter/pseuds/ObviouslyOtter
Summary: Sam and Bucky are quarantine buddies. Oh and Alpine too (Even if he doesn't pay rent). A collection of drabbles that are inevitably connected to each other.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62





	1. Have You Ever Tried Vicks Tea?

There’s nothing wrong with it.

Nope.

At least there shouldn’t be a problem. But as he looked down at the toilet paper roll, it occured to Sam that maybe this was Bucky’s worst crime. A bare toilet paper roll staring back at Sam’s dry, congested nose.

Sam knows that there has to be more toilet paper somewhere. While he might’ve not stocked on the hottest commodity of 2020, surely he bought enough to last between two grown men and a cat.

“Bucky!” Sam calls out into the hallway, “Can you bring me a roll of TP?”

“We’re out! Hop in the shower if ya need your ass clean!” Bucky yelled back. A little chuckle followed afterwards.

Sam let out a deflated sigh. With a dry nose and a headache that could possibly only be cured by magic, the news of not having the very much needed household item only worsened the effects of his sickness. That means he’ll have to go out and get some.

Sam turned to the mirror and ran his hands over his face. He doubted he’d even be let inside of Walmart. Bags formed underneath his puffy, red eyes. His nose somehow was peeling a bit, there also a lack of moisture inside of his nostrils. His lips were slightly chapped due to Sam’s inability to tell time and function with it after the day before yesterday’s sudden six hour nap. Yesterday, he barely had the strength to lift his arms, so he had forgoed on the chapstick. Sam rubbed his cheeks in large circles. Slight stubble had grown and become visible from some feet away. _Not that I’d be disappointed with a nice beard_ , Sam thought.

Moving from his face, the rest of him looked worse for wear. He was wearing his snowman pj bottoms with a black tank top. Which were perfectly good clothes, don’t get it confused. They just made him look sicker somehow. His general appearance gave off depressed and deflated vibes. He looked like one of those zombies in an apocalyptic rom-com.

Sam decided that he had spent enough time wallowing in the mirror and made his way to Bucky’s room.

Bucky usually kept his door open during the day. He told Sam it was only because of Alpine but Sam knew better. In Bucky’s beginning days of living with Sam, he would have his door shut from the public. When he closed the door, it was done quietly, as to not alert anyone.  
And Sam respected that silence. Not because it was silent but because, at the time, everything Bucky would do was silent. The true testament of Bucky’s comfortability was how much noise he made. Not to say that he isn’t still polite to Sam. Bucky was always courteous towards Sam no matter, ever since the day they finally were given the chance to talk to each other, without super business getting in the way. So at first it made sense to Sam that Bucky would feel as if he made excessive noise when making a bowl of cereal. It was just the gentleman in him, Mama Buchanan didn’t raise no impolite brat. The thing was, Bucky was silent while doing the dishes and sweeping the floor. His knocks were barely there, in case he was disturbing Sam. The blossom of personality that he had shown Sam before was starting to recede. Every silent action was him trying to prove to Sam that a gentle heart lied beneath the old creaky floor boards.

It only seemed right that Sam couldn’t let the man that was so close to being his best friend go so fast.

So one day Sam brought in some good ole board and card games. Something that they both could say was a part of their childhood. Something consistent in their ever changing lives. The age old joke of Monopoly tearing apart friendships and families is what brought them closer together. Sharing weird army traditions over casino style poker made them realize that nothing was quite that different. As brothers in arms, they redefined the phrase of “boys will be boys” (They decided that it was more along the lines of drinking from an old boot someone found that had never been cleaned rather than misogyny or sexism). Sam taught Bucky how to play Uno, which subsequently led to a 15 minute explanation of every rule Sam had picked up and which ones he thought were stupid (“Trains is really dumb, it makes the game go too fast.” Sam proclaimed to a confused but humored Bucky).

To sum it all together, this relationship between them wasn’t a slow process. It was a pace that the both of them couldn’t really maintain with too many other people. They may have had Steve introduce them but he wouldn’t have been able to keep them apart. PTSD and many other forms of mental illnesses were still present, going forward they would tackle these issues to the best of their abilities. They were definitely still growing and learning, but that didn’t worry Sam nor Bucky. All of the best things take time.

“Hello. Earth to Sam.” Bucky said as he waved his hand in front of Sam’s face. “You’re probably gonna want to lay down for a few extra hours. Or days.”

Sam didn’t even realize that he had walked straight into Bucky’s room and sat on his bed. Maybe Walmart isn’t such a good idea right now.

“Sorry dude,” Sam started sheepishly, “I had came in here to tell you that I was going to Walmart for some toilet paper but maybe that isn’t such a good idea, huh?” As soon as he stopped speaking the world started to spin. Bucky seemed to notice that Sam wasn’t doing so good and placed a tender hand on Sam’s chest, gently pushing him back to lay down.

“Don’t push it Sam. If you need toilet paper I’ll go upstairs and ask Natasha if she can spare a couple rolls. K?”

“K.” Sam restated in affirmation. He sunk into Bucky’s memory foam mattress, noting to tease Bucky about… About something. Sam promises himself he’ll remember after he gets some rest.

Bucky pats Sam’s chest over the heart. “I’ll get some tea and Vicks for you too. Stay there, don’t move!”

Psssh, as if he could.

Sam lets the sound of Bucky’s footsteps carry him to sleep.There’s no need to deny to himself that Bucky leaves him breathless at each sight. Moments and actions like this is what made Sam develop the crush he did. Or maybe it was everytime Bucky laughed. It could possibly be the way Bucky’s hand flexed when opening up jars. He loved showing Sam that the jar wasn’t that hard to open. Sam loved telling him that he loosened it up for him.

“Nat gave me M&M’s too, Sammie!” He hears Bucky declare from the kitchen. _That man is something else_.


	2. Birds, Blood, and Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today's adventures bring us to Bucky and Clint in the deep rain forest They're trapped (not really) in an unstable building. Find out today on Sam & Bucky Drabbles.

You know, generally as a rule of thumb you shouldn’t curse out your captors. 

Luckly, Bucky was exempt from that rule because he couldn’t even see his thumbs right now, as they were reinforced by a thick metallic band. 

“Fuck you.” Bucky spat blood at the one and only, Molecule Man. It landed straight in his eye and a bit on his eyebrow. Even Bucky had to say that it was a pretty good shot considering the lighting.

“Aargh!” he cried out. He rubbed at his eye but to no avail was he able to get out the saliva and blood mixture. By the wave of his wand an opening appeared in the shape of a door frame. Once he left it closed back up leaving Bucky and Clint inside the rickety enclosure. 

Bucky regarded him for a moment after his departure. Molecule Man was on S.H.I.E.L.D’s radar list and had been for the last 29 years. For someone so notoriously wanted he sure looked quite beat down. A hunched back, grey hair that was balding in the middle. Such an unassuming man, if Bucky had seen him on the streets he wouldn’t have even thought he was looking at a super villain. In fact, Bucky considered, he barely questioned them. Any important questions must have been halted by what Bucky just did. Things like that usually weakened any villain’s patience but Bucky didn’t expect it to entirely get rid of the guy. This man wasn’t the typical villain and the crime he committed just didn’t fit his type. He had been inactive since the Invasion of New York. So why now pick back up? 

“Hey Buckling, where did you get that blood from? He didn‘t even hit us. At all actually.” Hawkeye was beside him in a similar predicament. The Purple Birdman was just as annoying as the Red Birdman. Well, Red was more adorable.

If you had told Bucky that he would be fighting villains with superpowers 70+ years in the future, he would’ve laughed and bought you a drink for telling such a wild tale. However, it was his reality. It was without a doubt that he would be free right now if it wasn’t for the Purple Birdman chained next to him right now.

“Listen Buckaroo-”

“ _Bucky_.” He corrected.

“Ok Buckerino, I’m thinking that maybe throwing the flashbang right as they were leaving the plane wasn’t such a good idea.” 

“Noo, you think bird brain?” Bucky’s sarcasm practically bounces off the wall. The meanness behind the sarcasm was fake though. Clint, Sam, T’Challa, and Bucky had become quite the quartet. Even Bruce once laminated that they should, in fact, become one. 

He survey’s the room fully since being tied down. He notices that it wasn’t actually a room, it’s walls were made shift from pieces of metal. It wasn’t crumpled together though, some of the sheets were slightly phased into each other. There were bits of moonlight peeking through the cracks in the walls where the metal didn’t phase. Sadly, moonlight was short-lived, as heavy rain began to seep through the cracks causing some of the water to fall on top of Bucky’s already soaked hair. Rain revealed another problem to their already troubling list, there wasn't a floor, just dirt converting itself into mud. 

“This place is gonna collapse on us soon if we don’t get out.” Clint stated in a voice that T’Challa deemed as “focus overload”. All quips that were going to come out of Clint’s mouth, were gone now. Bucky knew that meant that Clint was mapping out exactly how the rest of this mission was going to go. Without failure.

“Yeah I know. I think I can get my metal arm free. The binding’s are made out of weak metal alloys that were found on the ground.” Bucky flexed his right arm upward and the binding broke. He then tried his best to make quick work of freeing the rest himself and Clint. 

They were completely enveloped in the dark. The building creaked again, this time bits of wet branchlets fell along with the rain that seemed to worsen every minute. The room was beginning to flood slightly with rain water. Action was now a priority. Clint pulled out his radio and an arrow out of his quiver. He pulled back one end of his arrow till a strong LED fashion light turned on. He handed it off to Bucky while he made the call to the rest of the Avengers who should still be in a quin jet above them a few miles away. Bucky studied the arrow in a sort of appreciative fascination. He never thought that bird brain would be smart enough to carry something like this around.

“Hello? Clint to Avengequin, come in.” Clint spoke into the receiver. 

“Clint, Bucky? Are you ready? Do you need us?” Steve spoke back in a worried voice. He must be manning the radio today.

“Yes, we’re fine. Molecule Man isn’t here but we need your assistance. The place is going to flood soon.”

“What do you mean he isn’t there?” Steve asked. In the background, was faint and worried, ‘Are they all right?’ coming from a man Bucky could recognize as Sam Wilson.

“He left but he didn’t do anything to us. The most he did was tied us up and tried to question us but he didn’t quite get that far. We can probably get out but we will need a lift to the Avengequin.”

“That’s weird,” he said thoughtfully, “Well I’m sending in Tony. Anything we should look out for?”

“Uhhhh, old man with a stick that warps things.”

Steve snorted, “Thanks Barton, really a help. Tony should be landing in 3,2,...1”

Not a beat after, lo and behold the man himself busted through the “door”. His very announcing arrival began to make the “building” shake violently. 

“Legolas and Cybernetic, it’s time to go. Now” Tony said hurriedly. 

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” Clint shot back.

Bucky grabbed onto Tony’s right arm and waited for Clint to grab his left. However, the ever resourceful Hawkeye had a different plan. 

“Hey what are you-” Tony started to say. But was cut off by the sound of a plunger like sticking to the midsection of his suit.

“I’m hitching a ride if you don’t mind. Now go.” Just as Clint said that the building began to fall apart. Tony quickly rushed up into the sky with Bucky on his arm and Clint hanging off of a plunger arrow.

The rain pelted down hard and the wind blew strong. Bucky shivered violently, his hair was dripping wet and clinging to his face. He desperately wanted to move the hair from his face but didn’t dare let go of Tony’s arm. Clint on the other hand somehow managed to make some fun out of this entire situation. You can tell he practiced by the way he moved his feet out of the way of the tops of the trees. He laughed gleefully and childishly, a way Bucky was told had been lost long ago. 

It wasn’t long before they made it inside the Avengequin. When they arrived they were greeted with Natasha, Bruce, and Sam holding hot body towels for them as soon as they stepped in. 

Sam stepped towards Bucky and wrapped a towel around him. “I thought you were gonna run off with Barton to go to that new arcade, as long as you were gone.” He smiled at Bucky and placed two hands on each of his shoulders, and massaged firmly. It was obviously the warm towel combating the cold that had taken place in his bones that made him feel safe the way he did in that moment. Sam’s warm smile just made it seem less real.

“Yeah, well Barton sure used me as a replacement.” Tony said, breaking whatever trance Bucky and Sam were in. Tony then unstuck the plunger arrow from his midsection and threw it before deactivating his suit. 

“My pleasure Tin Man. Although could you be a bit gentler next time, I have really sensitive calves and- ow! Nat, why’d you do that?” Natasha pulled his hair again. “Ok, ok I get it. _Sheesh_.”

The rest of the Avengers shared a laugh at Clint’s expense as they sailed off to Avengers Tower to spend the night. Sam used the excuse of Bucky still being wet to towel him off further once they got there. In reality, he just needed an excuse to fall asleep within Bucky’s vicinity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I know this chapter's late and was updated at it's usual time but I still wanted to post it regardless of time and date. Also I know that this isn't at all in the same pace or domesticity of the first chapter because I wanted to establish certain things like the fact that they sometimes sleep at the tower after missions or that they have access to SHIELD's files so they can still do their part in helping and saving the world. After this I will go back to the more home based chapters, I just wanted to establish the sense of how they are as a team without a flashback. Regardless of these differences, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and can see past how badly it's written. I also wanted to try writing and formatting it better, so I will try to make sure my writing I'm improving every step of the way. This time I worked on dialogue being properly indented because it's something I see but I forgot to put it in my own writing. Okay enough chitter chatter, hope you enjoy!
> 
> Lovingly, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3  
> (P.S. Hawkeye is one of my fav superhero's and the mcu did him REALLY dirty, start to finish. So I'll do him better :))


	3. It Rained Magnolias On City Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Bucky go picnicking on a nice warm but cool May day. Bucky contemplates his life and what makes it good or bad. Where should he go next, in what ways has Sam brightened his life?

This was bliss. Sitting under the magnolia tree with a basket full of food, books, and Sam sitting next to him. The sun poured from the sky. No work, no stress, no thoughts about what had to come next. Serenity kissed him through the flow of a light breeze. He was left with the sweet taste of honey on biscuits. The birds and squirrels, running and flying amidst the falling white petals. Bucky was stuck here not by force, but by faith. Life didn’t give him lemons but he still had four mason jars filled with lemonade in the basket.

Mindlessly toying with petals and sticks on the ground, he quietly contemplated his life and what the next step should be. He already had a job and friends who he thought he could trust, for the most part. A nice apartment, cabin, and floor in the Avengers Tower. Actually, he was starting to think he was becoming spoiled with the luxury he was afforded. Still, he felt as if he wasn’t doing enough. Before, he and Steve would frequent the fairs and events that left sweet memories. Even dates with girls that could swoon men much more handsome than Bucky but chose him anyway. Regardless of who he was with, Bucky was a city boy. And city boys don’t sit still for long. _Maybe Sammie would like to go somewhere with me_ , he thought. _Be a city boy with me_.

When he turned to look at Sam he discovered to see that Sam was already looking at him. The sun really brought out the flecks of brown in his eyes. It was often that they’d find each other staring. In meetings when someone said something funny. In public when they were waiting for the other to gather their things. On missions for signaling one another or to give a cue. In the hospital when one of them got hurt, worry tearing at each other’s hearts. When they were making dinner and the other wasn’t quite sure of their culinary abilities. Sometimes it was when they sat on the couch together to watch a movie. There isn’t a reason for those times. When they would wait for the other inside their room, their hushed voice convincing them that it would be more comfortable to watch in bed. Late at night when the movie had ended and there was nothing to distract them from each other. They would stare for hours, unmoving, unwilling to break the tension that holds them so far apart. It was often that Bucky hoped that Sam was staring back at him with lust.

“What are you looking at?” Sam teased. He paused for a second, looking at Bucky as though he was admiring him. “You know something? You still look like a raccoon even without the pollution on your face.”

_Oh we’re playing this game again_. “I would tell you that you’re lying through your teeth but I think an elephant can fit through that big ass gap in the middle of your face,” Bucky shot back playfully.

“Oh? I thought you liked my smile?”

“Huh?” a small fear rose in Bucky’s chest. He wasn’t ready or didn’t know if he would ever be ready to tell Sam how he felt. If the younger man was interested or even into men. He made sure that he watched his words around Sammie. Hell, even calling him Sammie out loud was an accident.  
“Don’t try to deny it. Remember when we had that party at Stark’s all because he found a way to lower Steve’s anti-drunk feature? Then we all decided that since the girls were gone we should get piss drunk?”

“Yeah I remember that party. I haven’t seen Steve look so stupid in a while, and that saying something,” he chuckled, “But it wasn’t just because the girls were gone though. It was because everyone who had to be the potential voice of reason for Tony was gone.” They both laughed. “And I remember now, I said that your drunk-off-your-ass smile was better looking than Thor’s. I should’ve told you that your breath reeked of Jack.”

“I don’t care it still qualifies. Now can you hand me the basket please, I need some lemonade.” Sam remarked smugly. Bucky handed the basket to Sam, accidentally gracing his hand across Sam’s. Bucky tensed slightly but no words were exchanged. They both fell back into content silence. It was a peaceful thing to have with a person. The ability to be without interruptions or feelings of anxiety. Something he hadn’t had with his brothers and sisters or Steve. Each bite was a new memory Bucky would hesitate to forget. In secrecy, he had been writing in a different notebook, one that was nicer, more fashionable. He bought it when Sam took him to Target for the first time. That one simple trip to the market made him so happy for some reason, it kind of baffled him. He started to think that should he ever leave his body, he would want to leave behind the good memories too. The ones that were made in the time that he was living in. His childhood and young adult days were great but he was living a new life now. He could even argue it was… better. It was certainly a conversation to be had for later.

A couple minutes after they finished eating each pulled a book out from the basket that they had bought from Barnes & Noble a few days ago. Consequently, they were only able to get 24 minutes into their reading before Bucky began to notice raindrops on his book. He looked up at a now dark grey sky, clouds rumbling, waiting to roar.

“Bucky its time to go. Now.” Sam was already up and had the basket in his hand. Bucky quickly got up and grabbed the blanket so it wouldn’t get soaked. Quickly he put it in the basket and together they ran through the rain. The rain began to pour and the dirt began to become slippery. “Woah!” Sam cried out. Bucky grabbed his hand before he could hit the mud and waited a second before running again. Lightning clashed with lightning. The wind blew leaves and flowers around in a giant flurry. Pushing past the daring rain, hopeless, entitled to nothing, running with one another, they had nothing left to gain. They danced through the open field, at some point twirling because the mud was throwing them in a loop. Realization struck that they would never reach the car in time, Sam tugged on Bucky’s hand and jerked his hand over to the tree that was grafted into crisscrosses. It was bushy and thick, enough to hide out the storm. Sam threw a disk onto the ground, near the tree and it produced a rotund purple forcefield with a metal base. Sam pulled out a remote and an opening was formed. He pulled Bucky into the base with him, both slightly squished together momentarily from impact. Sam closed the opening, letting the sounds of the rain dull from the inside. Once more, silence ensued. Deep heavy breaths aiding to calm their nerves.

Cold and shivering, Sam shifted to sit upright against the wall of the forcefield. Bucky laid his head gently on Sam’s arm, snuggling in the crook. Sam didn’t even mind that his hair was dripping wet, the shared heat would warm it. Time passed with no clear indication of when the rain would eventually stop. Bucky was the one to finally break the silence.

“Sam?”

“Yeah Buck?”

“What kind of tree is this magnolia grafted with?”

“A pear tree, why?”

“I don’t know, just asking.”

“Hmm.” It was a minute before Sam spoke again. “I think our friendship sometimes makes me feel like I’m sitting under a pear tree.”

“Interesting. What does that mean?”

“It means something I haven’t felt for someone in a long time.”

Bucky didn’t answer, he didn’t feel the need to. Hand in hand, they stayed there until the rain stopped, hours later. Meanwhile, all around them, heavy rain knocked the petals and pears off of the treetops, and it rained magnolias on city boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know this one took a while but it's because I learned that Bucky's birthday is tomorrow and wanted to come up with a concept to commemorate it. I also have desperately been trying to improve, improve, improve without a decline. But as you know I write not only for myself but for you guys too. I often have a really good idea in my head but when it comes to writing it, suddenly I don't know what basic English is. So I wish you the best and hope you the best. Let me know if you liked this chapter and if you want a part two to Bucky's city idea. I would love to write about Sam and Bucky sharing their New York experiences. Anyway, be sure to never be afraid to leave a comment on what you would like to see. I like the slow burn of feelings even though I'm not writing a full fic.
> 
> With much love, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3  
> (p.s. Did you get the reference?)


	4. Stolen Things Like Hearts and Such

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Bucky's birthday! That means stress and party planning for Sam. How will he endure his own complications while taking on this tremendous task? Find out today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

This was probably the third most illegal thing Sam has done. Behind committing treason and aiding a fugitive, there wasn’t much Sam could do that top either of those two anyway. Morally speaking, they weren’t crimes, he was just helping a friend or two out by doing some stuff. Honestly, right now? Sam could probably reason to the police that he was simply just retrieving stuff that was reported stolen. That is, if Natasha didn’t incapacitate them first. 

They were only committing crimes to give Bucky the best birthday surprise of his life. Last year Sharon and Shuri were in charge of Bucky’s party. It was so well planned that Natasha wasn’t even sure that she and Sam could top it. Sharon and Shuri even gave it a theme with matching clothing for everyone to wear. Last year, the group had decided to surprise him at Steve’s house, given that it was the most inconspicuous place they could lead him to without blowing cover. This year, Sam decided that it would probably be best if it was a rented room or personal museum, to ensure that no one would accidentally find it or blow it up. So Tony made an “arrangement” and had it built underground where it wouldn’t get disturbed by vandalism or city workers. It was hard planning for a super-soldier who was basically a weaponized detective. Every move was made under the guise that he and Natasha were on missions together. In fact, the plan was so elaborate that the team only knew that Natasha and Sam were on it.

Currently they were searching throughout the U.S. for Bucky’s stuff that he lost when he was presumed dead. So far they’ve been able to track down a surprising amount of Bucky’s old stuff. When he “died” the military must’ve immediately gone to preserve everything they had of him. Old diary’s, clothes, even newspapers that he had kept lying around. If it was Bucky’s, then it was there. They had no idea if Bucky would even want these things, so Sam and Natasha made sure to keep everything, having to move boxes into U-Haul trucks.

Today their search led them to the outside of some prestigious military collectibles museum. It stood tall with columns that mimicked ancient Roman architecture. It screamed gaudy and inflated. It looked like an old-money business entrepreneur from the 1800s’ would design. The museum wasn’t necessarily closed to the public but the prices for admission were so high that they might as well have been blunt with it. Luckily it was closed to the “public” till further notice which gave them the perfect opportunity to look around.

Most of the places that held Bucky’s stuff were centralized around or in New York, so flying wasn’t a big issue but time proved to be an obstacle. The flight would’ve been longer had they taken a commercial airline, but thankfully Tony had quinjets in storage. Afterward, they would take a U-Haul out from a nearby rental. This time Sam was prepared and called a car rental agency ahead of time. It was 3:00 am, so this gave them about 5 hours to get back to prepare the rest of the party. It was a pretty stressful endeavor. 

  
  


Upon arriving, Sam took a deep breath, and slumped slightly in his seat. He looked wistfully out of the window, wondering if anyone on any of the stars were looking back at him. The stress came off of him in waves, he could feel Natasha staring at him but he didn’t care. Sam assumed that she knew that he had developed feelings for Bucky. Sam assumed that she also knew that he was playing a fool’s game.

“You do know that you can talk Sam, right? You can let it out when you need to,” she comforted. “I think that we’ve gone through enough that we can talk about the things that may make us uncomfortable.” Sam laughed darkly and put his head in his hand, running it back as though he still had long hair. Then he let out another deep sigh.

“Which one of us is the veteran counselor, you or me?”

“Both,” Natasha simply stated. “We both went through hard experiences that run our lives if we don’t keep them in check-”

“I am keeping it in check, Nat!” Sam interrupted. He leaned back into his seat, swallowing back emotions that threatened to spill. “I am,” he whispered. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I thought no one would notice.” With each word his voice broke more than the last. The shaky breath that followed turned into a sob. His hands gripped the steering tightly, almost like it was the only thing he was holding on to. He lowered his head onto the steering wheel, sobbing as quietly as a man who was losing himself could. 

At first there was only silence. Then, he felt a hand rub circles into his back. He lifted his head slightly from the wheel, “Nat you don’t have to- umph!” He was cut off by a hug that almost knocked the wind out of him.

“Yes, I do, and no you aren’t,” her words muffled by Sam’s sweater. “I am here for you, whether you like it or not. I don’t care if I sound like a Wattpad fanfic right now Sam, I understand. And I don’t know what has you honing in on your inner masculinity but you don’t have to do that around me. I thought we got over that stage a long time ago, before the Blip and everything.” By the end of Natasha’s speech, she also had tears in her eyes. Sam noticed and hugged her back tightly. Then something clicked with Sam. He never truly heard Natasha talk about a past relationship or a specific pronoun when describing love interests. He knew he’d never get another moment like this so he closed his eyes, hugged her tight, and let the glow of the moonlight cover them. 

Eventually Natasha lifted her head and lowered her arms. Sam did the same and leaned back into his seat, this time the tears were leaving. He wiped leftover tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. He took a moment before he said, “Wattpad fanfic? I wouldn’t expect that to come from you,” He tried to joke.

“Don’t doubt me Wilson. Assassins need downtime too.” The tears no longer tore down her face either. Maybe it was the stars reflecting in her eyes, maybe it was just his imagination, but for the first time Sam was sure he was seeing the real Natasha. She turned to face him fully, all previous mirth gone, replaced with compassion. “Sam can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Shoot.”

She turned on her side, using her hands as pillows. “What made you so emotional today? You’re usually the optimistic one out of all of us.”

Sam felt hesitant to say anything. If he opened up anymore he would be sealing the deal. The floodgates had already opened but was he willing to lift the baby proofs around his heart? He looked deeply into Natasha’s eyes and scanned her face, searching for any traces of deceit that would be sure to show. Instead, he found a warm, open, honest face staring back at him.

“My dad and I talked today,” he started.

“Mhm.”

“... He’s a… preacher.” He doubted he needed to say anything else.

“Oh.”

But he did. “I was talking to my family about Bucky’s party and asked them to come. Somehow the conversation got to my living arrangement and I told them that I did in fact live with Bucky,” he paused to run his tongue over his teeth. “I haven’t told them yet about what exactly I do for a living, you know? I was planning to reveal it at the party but I’m not even sure that they’ll show. My dad made some stupid remarks about “homosexuals” and I guess he targeted it towards me because he watched for my reaction. When I didn’t laugh it got ugly.” He stopped telling the story to glance at the sky to stop himself from getting worked up again. When he felt calmer he continued.

“Eventually, it got to the subtopic of what race Bucky was. That didn’t go over well with my dad either. The worst part about it all is that he degrades me for a life I’m not living, the life I _want_ to live. He told me to call him when I decided to hunch my back and stiffen my wrist.” He ran his tongue over his teeth again, eyes now staring blankly forward, the memories replaying in his mind.

“Sam I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. I’m hoping that if they come to the party, it’ll destroy the idea of…” He trailed off. “Shit maybe seeing Tony Stark and Captain America might give me some masculinity points. There’s always the problem of eventually telling them I was a war criminal, fugitive, and public enemy number one at some point but I’m sure they’ll forgive me for that, funnily enough.” He glanced at the clock on the radio, it read 3:45. “We need to go loot the place before 5:00 comes. Do you have the scrambler?”

“I do. Let me do that then we can head inside.” Sam nodded in agreement and reached behind to grab the cardboard boxes in the backseat. He now felt clear-headed, like a gigantic weight had been lifted that he didn’t even know was being carried. “Okay we’re in.” Sam took in one last deep breath and exited the car.

Sam really didn’t think this one through. He was too wrapped up in his emotions to think at thge time. Natasha had planned to get them in with a black and silver gun that had a videogame-esque look to it. It was bulky but the same size as a handheld pistol, the most notable difference was the wires connecting to a small circle at the shooting end of the gun. He eyed it with suspicion. “Hey Nat where’d you get that from? I thought we apprehended most of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s tech?”

She smiled smugly and waved the gun in the air. “Pym owed me a favor and the portal gun was just part of our deal”

Sam snorted. “Of course, the first thing Pym did after getting _legal_ access to high tech, is build a portal gun. Should I be concerned? Like is this a red flag I should be heeding or...?”

“If you this is the first red flag that you’re seeing, maybe I’m the one that should be concerned.”

“Hmph, maybe so.” He agreed. Without further ado, Natasha flipped a switch and shot the portal gun at the front entrance’s door. As he looked through the portal, Sam was left gobsmacked by the giant airplane suspended in the air. It must be reinforced by some type of anti-gravity field. It was placed smack dot in the middle of the main lobby, its presence was a rush of awe and excitement.

“Impressed, Wilson?” Natasha teased as she went through the portal. Sam knocked himself out of the stupor he was in and followed suit. 

The museum was divided by eras and then subdivided by countries, military, and civilians. Not the most common of layouts but it worked fine for Sam and Natasha. They journeyed their way through the twists and turns of the museum, up staircases and through large hallways. Finally, they made their way to WWII American military and it took no time to find the entire Captain America and friends section. The room was one of the biggest they’d seen in the entire museum. Each hologram had a ring around it where you could read about everyone. They had holographic pictures of every one of the soldiers who fought in the 1st Infantry Division's 26th Infantry Regiment. There were life stories, mementos, biographies, some even had autobiographies. Pictures of domestic life and life in the war, pets, families, you name it, they had it. In the middle of the room was a giant holographic picture of Captain America in all of his former and current glory. The hologram made him look just as patriotic as he was, shield on his arm running with the wind. Right next to his hologram was one for each of the Howling Commandos. All of the people Sam grew up hearing about: Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Montgomery Falsworth, Jim Morita, and Jacques Dernier, and James Buchanan Barnes.

He stepped closer up to the holograms. Sam hadn’t seen a younger version of Bucky before. Maybe one or two pics that the school system had circulating around. But right now the sight of Bucky in his mid-twenties left him breathless, and he couldn’t be bothered to stop gawking. He could honestly stay all day long and stare. For every minute that passed on Earth, Sam spent another eternity in Bucky’s eyes. Sam spent thirty minutes looking through the holographs, downloading every piece of info that he could find on all of the people Bucky knew and the man himself. He must have looked like a kid at the school fair because when he looked to his left Natasha was standing beside him with three boxes already filled.

“Oh wow,” He said sheepishly, “I guess you cleared out the place, huh?” She smiled, gave him a pat on the back, and moved to pick up her boxes to the truck. With one last glance at the memorial Sam left, taking out his flash drive from the computer system. 

When they made their way out, it was already dawn. Light pinks and peachy oranges painted its way across the sky. The flight back with the boxes was relatively quiet, small chatter here and there. Sam made the phone call to his parents telling them they could get ready and he would be there to pick them up at around 10:00. His mother answered the phone but he could hear his father grumbling in the background. Sam didn’t let it bother him. He hoped this would change his father's mind. 

  
  


They landed an hour later in Tony’s hangar. All they had to do is get the stuff underground to the personal museum. Tony and Pepper were in charge of decoration, but Sam got the text that he had Peter and Harley helping. He didn’t quite mind that seeing that things got off to a late start today. Natasha and him were just coming down the stairs when he got jump-scared by Peter’s gleeful face.

“Hi Mr. Falcon! The decorations are all set and Ned just finished setting the catering.” In the background Sam saw two of Peter’s friends he often saw when Peter was heading home from school.

“Hey Pete, thanks for helping out. I didn’t know you had recruited more helpers.”

Peter looked behind him as if just noticing that they were behind him. Peter blushed, “Oh yeah I needed a little more help because there was so much to put up. I trust them with my life, so I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not Peter, I see you as responsible. Please tell them that they are welcomed to stay for the party.” Sam often saw them inside of Tony’s lab too, so if Tony trusted them so did he.

Peter beamed at the sound of not having to tell his friends to leave. “I will, thank you Mr. Falcon.” And with that Peter ran off to tell his friends the great news.

Natasha finished putting the things she had found in their respective rooms while Sam finished creating the slide show he had put together. Some of the things were files kept in a different folder for later when Bucky was at home. Sam thought he did a pretty decent job, if he did say so himself. He even found an old tape of a movie that Bucky and his sibling were actually in. Sam couldn’t thank Tony enough for building an entire theatre underground in such a short time. When he finished he told Pepper she could text the others so they could start heading over and for all of them to get dressed if they needed to. Then he dressed and ventured to his parents’ house, mentally preparing for the verbal abuse. 

When he got there, he texted Steve that he could start bringing him to the base. Steve was in charge of keeping Bucky company the whole day without being suspicious. They went on a city-wide treasure hunt that Shuri was responsible for creating. Steve responded with a “K. On the way.” With the knowledge that Bucky was on the way, he knocked on the door. Sam was greeted by his brother Gideon who was sporting his daughter who was wearing a sea green tutu. 

“Hey, Sam,” he glanced at the six-year-old hanging off of his side. “Sorry she wanted to wear it to the party, I can have her take it off if you want.” Gideon moved to the side to let Sam in.

Sam shook his head, “Aaliyah,” he said addressing his niece, “You look wonderful. I’m sure my friend Natasha could show you a thing or two about ballerinas dancing.” Aaliyah looked up at him wide-eyed and curious.

“Really?” she questioned. He smiled at her and nodded. She giggled and ran off into the doorway where she bumped into her mom holding baby Jody. “Mommy! Mommy!” she jumped, “Uncle Sam said I could wear my tutu because his friend is a ballerina and she could teach me how to dance like a ballerina.”

“Oh really?” Sarah asked. “Is that true Sam?”

“Well she used to be a ballerina but still dances anyway. I’ve told her about Aaliyah’s dream, she said she wouldn’t mind taking Ms. Liyah under her.” Aaliyah giggled at the confirmation.

“Is that so? Okay then, we should get in the car so that we’re not late.”

“Actually, it’s a limo but g’ on head Miss bossy. Just usher everyone in the car for me.”

Sarah and Gideon laughed and moved to put the kids in the limo. "Hey little man," Sam said to ten-year-old Jimmy who came up behind everyone. 

"Are we really riding in a limo?" 

"Of course. You know I had to ship you guys out in style." Sam lightly punched his shoulder. "Be nice to my driver, little man. He's a dear friend of mine." 

"Ok, I will." Jimmy ran out the door in excitement. Sarah was standing outside of the door waiting for Jimmy.

"Mommy and Daddy are in the back Sam!" Sarah yelled inside to him.

_Ahh the dreaded moment_. Sam inhaled slightly and exhaled slowly to prepare for the worst. He walked back to the master bedroom, passing his old room that he stayed in for a little while after coming from the military. He could remember a time when his life was a bit simpler. But simpler didn't necessarily mean better, something that took time for him to learn.

Even though their bedroom door was open, he still knocked. "Are you guys ready?" The room smelled of his mom's perfume that she had been buying for the last thirty years. It reminded him fondly of the good times he had growing up.

"Don't rush us Sam, you know we're getting old. These bones don't hold up like they used to." His father said.

Sam laughed. "When we get to the party you're gonna meet some old folks that are gonna surprise you."

"How old we talking Sam? I'm not that old, I can still do a little shuck n jive." His mom countered. 

"Oh can you?" His father raised an eyebrow. His mom just snootily raised her nose and pushed past him.

"C'mon we should get going, Happy's waiting with the limo for us. Gideon, Sarah, and the kids are already in." Sam interjected. His parents both exchanged an impressed look and carried out the front door.

Once everyone was in the car, Sam gave Happy the signal to start driving. Happy lowered the partition and said, "Hello there Wilson family, I'm Happy Hogan your personal driver for the day. How are all of you doing today?" Everyone gave mixed replies of "good" to "great". Even little Jody threw in a small wave with his little baby hand. 

"Sam, you hired a limo driver just for this?' Sarah asked. All of the adults looked at him expectantly. 

"No, no. Happy's a close friend and he graciously offered to help for today's event." Sam explained.

"Yup that's right!" Happy exclaimed from the driver's seat. "I'm primarily employed by Mr. Stark as his head of security." 

"Uncle Sam, do you know Tony Stark?" Aaliyah asked. Sam went to his photo gallery and passed a picture around of him and Tony when they went out for shawarma once. 

"Sadly, I do know Tony Stark in all of his glory." Happy snickered at Sam's comment. The rest of the Wilson family were left impressed and wondering about the company that Sam kept. He always said so little about his friends to his family but now it seemed to be paying off. 

Not too long later, they arrived at Tony's hangar. At first the vast open fields and runways confused them. But Sam led them to the stairs that were hidden in the closet and descended. When they came to the main lobby of the museum Tony and Pepper were waiting there to greet them.

"Hello, you guys must be the Wilson's." Pepper greeted. She and Tony both went through shaking everybody's hand. They exchanged greetings and words. Eventually taking his family off of his hands and introducing them to everyone else, including Clint who immediately began to embarrass Sam. 

Ten minutes later Steve texted saying that Bucky and he were just outside. A last-minute strike of anxiety flowed through him, but nevertheless he pulled himself together to tell, "He's here everyone!" Sam could hear everyone take places before the room went dark. All was quiet for a few moments till he could hear Bucky and Steve's voices from up the stairs. 

"Rogers are you trying to set me up?" Bucky asked playfully.

"Trust me if I wanted to beat you up on the stairs, I could've and would've done it earlier." Steve joked back.

"Without Sam around to see it? It's his kink to see me get my ass kicked." Sam turned red at the mention of his name. 

Finally, their steps got closer, when the first foot hit the floor, the lights flipped on and a large collective "Surprise!" rang out. Bucky's face lit up like a firework on the fourth of July. "Aww you guys. You know you don't have to do stuff like this for me." There was a small blush creeping on his face. Steve came from behind him and clasped a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Thank you Steve."

"Don't thank me. Sam, Tony, and Nat are the culprits.” Steve pointed to the three standing in front.

Bucky looked at Tony with curiosity. Tony stepped towards him and hugged him. “Of course. At the time, I was angry. I mean reasonably so though, you can’t exactly blame me. But!” He exclaimed. “I also realized that the person who did the deed wasn’t you. If the man who I’ve been working with this past year? Years? I don’t know what timeline this is. Anyway, you didn’t choose willingly. And I for one am glad to know the man standing in front of me.” Tony smiled at Bucky then clasped his shoulders with both of his hands. “Ok enough of this sappy stuff let’s get drunk!” He let go of Bucky and the party commenced.

It was a good time. Sam gave the tour around the museum, Bucky constantly in wonder of how they got their hands on so much of his old possessions. He laughed when he saw the bathroom display they set up. “Really Sam? My toothbrush?”

“Listen, we couldn’t tell what you would want. So we took everything just in case.” Sam explained. They exchanged a laugh and moved on. Steve came up with the idea of getting stickers so Bucky could mark certain things he’d like to take home. Mostly Bucky chose pictures of family and friends. When they finished the tour, they went to the little ballroom that Tony insisted was a must. Everyone was chatting and having a good time. Sam looked around the room. He saw his family all spread out talking to whoever was in their vicinity. He turned towards Bucky. “You want to meet my family?”

“Of course Sammie. I have to meet the people I’ve heard so much about.” Sam blushed a bit when Bucky called him Sammie. Bucky only called him that in private when no one was around, so it was a bit flustering to hear that name be said in public. 

Sam led him to his parents first. They were already talking to Steve who must’ve been doing the job of amazing them. “Mom! Dad! I see you’ve already met Steve.”

“Samuel Thomas Wilson, why'd you never tell us you were Captain America and the Falcon? Simultaneously too!” His mom said. 

Steve and Bucky snickered at him. He threw them an empty glare and said, “Ma that’s classified information. Sorry but now I’m going to have to have Vision erase your memory.”

“Boy stop playing with us.” His father spoke. “Sam I can’t believe this is what you've been doing behind our backs. All those times we’ve been worried about you. You could’ve told us a little something.” His father spoke with concern he hadn’t heard in a while.

Sam nodded in understanding. “I know how you feel. But I have a duty to protect not only the people of this Earth but the universe. And plus,” he wrapped his arm around Steve and Bucky, “I’ve got these guys to help.” Bucky gave a cheesy smile that Sam's parents laughed at.

“Well okay then. As long as you’re safe.” His mom reluctantly agreed. 

“So you must be Bucky. I’m Paul Wilson, this is my wife Darlene.” He stuck his hand towards Bucky, who accepted it and shook. “A man with a firm handshake, I like it,” Paul remarked. 

The conversation went on for fifteen minutes before Tony stood up and banged a spoon against a wine glass. “Time to sing happy birthday boys and girlies!” To the left of the room a giant three-tier cake, with numbered candles that read one hundred and three, was being rolled out. T’Challa took Bucky’s side and moved him to the step ladder that was put into the middle of the room. Everyone gathered around the giant cake, once everyone was gathered, Sam counted off, “And a one, and a two, and a three. Happy Birthday…” Bucky looked around the room smile as bright as the dying sun. For a moment, his eyes locked with Sam’s. In that moment, it was them against the world or anything that would try to keep them apart. 

Once Bucky blew out his candles the party began to die down. Soon after all of Bucky’s stuff with stickers on it was being shipped out and food was being dished out to go. Everyone was stuffed from before but that didn’t stop anyone from getting cake. Even after every guest took a piece of cake to go, the bottom cake had four-fifths left. Sam tried to make Sarah take it home but she absolutely refused. 

“Sam these kids don’t need to be eating all of that sugar.”

“Sarah just take it I don’t have enough room in my fridge,” Sam pleaded.

“It looks like Thor is already loading it in y’all car, so you’re taking it case closed.” Sam looked over to see that the cake was already inside the car. Sam sighed, it was probably going to have to go on the bottom shelf. 

“Alright Sarah, I’ll see you later. Be safe and make sure my little man is getting what he wants.” He hugged her and watched her get into the limo. He waved his family off as they rode away. Thankfully the night went smooth and he was able to let go of some of the tension in his shoulders. He felt an arm around his shoulders and turned to see who it was.

“Thanks for the party Sammie. It was really thoughtful of you to go through all of that trouble just for little ol me.” Bucky took another sip of his soda. Sam watched how Bucky drank it, suddenly losing all moisture in his mouth. He struggled to form words at first. 

“Uh yeah, of course. It wasn’t any trouble. Oh wait!” Sam remembered something.”Let me go get something real quick. Wait in the car for me.” Bucky raised his eyebrow but Sam was already off. 

  
  


The car ride was peaceful. Natasha was driving the car, Steve sat passenger, and Bucky and Sam were in the back. Along the way Steve and Natasha talked mainly, with some input from the boys in the back. The music was on medium, the atmosphere was lulling, and the feel of Bucky lying on Sam’s shoulder was euphoric. _He must be feeling tired, it’s okay I don’t mind_ , Sam reasoned to no one but himself. They bathed in the city lights, in the backseat of a silver Toyota Camry, drowning in the feelings that would never leave their lips. The motor running and their mind racing, being shielded by a million blinding lights. This is what they meant by city boys don’t sit still at night.

  
  


Once they made it home Steve and Natasha helped put the food away and bring the presents in. Bruce drove alongside them in a van to carry some other things that couldn’t all fit inside the van. The three eventually left, Steve carpooling with Bruce back to the Avengers Tower. Natasha was the last to leave, she winked at Sam before going out the door to go upstairs. 

And then there were two. 

Bucky gave Sam a full hug, rocking side to side whilst doing so. “I just wanted to say thank you again. It really does mean so much Sammie. Your family is wonderful.” Bucky spoke in a low voice. Sam wrapped his arms around Bucky. It felt nice and his cologne smelled good. 

“I already told you man, it was nothing. You mean a lot to me, even if you look like a raccoon.” 

“Hmph.” Bucky’s face was buried into the crook of Sam’s neck. They stood like that for a couple seconds extra, trapped in a warm embrace. 

“I have one more present, Buck.” Bucky lifted his face from Sam’s neck. The action left Sam’s neck feeling cold, lonely even. Bucky’s eyes were half-lidded and stared back dreamily into Sam’s. “Yeah. It’s a slideshow from some photos and footage I found.”

“Yeah? Then let me go get dressed for the night and we can watch it together.” He didn’t give Sam a chance to respond, he just walked to his room without another word.

Sam couldn’t bring himself to move at first. When he took a step forward he felt like he was dream running. Like a thick, viscous liquid had replaced the air and was simultaneously pushing him forward and keeping him back. The colors of the world became vibrant and popped like someone turned up the contrast in his eyes. He quickly put on his nightclothes, a black tank top with grey sweatpants. Then, he walked to Bucky’s room, tentatively knocking on the door. It wasn’t fully closed and opened at the gentle force. Bucky was sitting on the side of the bed with his hair tied up but a few strands fell, framing his face. He was wearing his black pajama pants with no shirt. 

“Pop it in and you can come lay with me,” Bucky said. Sam fumbled a bit putting the flash drive in, then he grabbed the remote and went to lay with Bucky. Once he got on the PowerPoint, he handed Bucky the remote so he could slide through it himself. The fond memories of the past put a delicate smile on his face that lasted through the entirety. He stopped to explain the people to Sam or the significance of the objects in the picture several times. There were sad moments but Bucky chose not to focus on those. Instead of choosing to acknowledge the happy things that happened to him. Somehow he managed to end up laying on Sam's chest, cuddling almost, if Sam was out of his mind. 

When it was done he looked up at Sam. “Thank you, Sammie. I needed this.” Sam looked down at him and smiled.

“Man, of course. You don’t have to keep saying it. I keep telling you, you don’t have to thank me for this. You deserve it,” Sam reminded him. He put his hand on Bucky’s shoulder and rubbed it. The intimate action caused Bucky to look into Sam’s eyes. Something that happened often but now had an entirely different meaning. Sam’s breath got caught in his throat, he momentarily stopped breathing, as if he did it ruined the moment. As they stared into each other’s eyes, Sam’s hand that was rubbing Bucky’s shoulder slowed down till it was at a complete stop. The only light was coming from the tv and yet, Sam was able to see the blue in Bucky’s eyes clearer than ever before.

Then Bucky did something, he closed the distance, pecking Sam on the lips and moving away to read Sam’s face. 

Then Sam did something, he closed the distance, combining tenderness and ferocity into the form of a kiss. 

Bucky responded by returning the intensity. They made haste to discover the rest of each other's bodies. Touching, rubbing, feeling. Sam ran his tongue over Bucky’s lips, begging to be let in. And there was no way Bucky could refuse a hungry man. After that the touches of each other’s bodies against another became hot like lava. Heat radiated from their mouths, becoming sloppier with desire. Their passion fuel rampage became too much for Bucky to bear, he broke apart the kiss to look into Sam’s eyes. He tugged at Sam’s tank top, waiting for permission to continue further. Sam sat up to take it off and laid back down, kissing Bucky hungrily rubbing his hardened member. Bucky let out an audible, “Oh!” before tugging his sweats down. 

They continued the night that way, exploring the new boundary that they crossed together. Dressed in only the city lights that flowed from the window. The TV had shut itself off from no activity for too long. It didn’t matter, Bucky and Sam found a new activity they would surely enjoy more often from this point. It included stealing things like hearts and such under the pale blue midnight. Then stumbling home to tremble underneath the magnolia grafted pear tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies! I know I missed Bucky's birthday but it's still his birthday month. I enjoyed writing this chapter just because I personally acknowledged my mess up's in the timeline. Also because it's hard to see people represent Sam as a genuinely caring friend and not an emotional support character. He has his own wants and desires. His own backstory and struggles. As a black woman who understands the generational mindset of older black folk, especially based of off time-sensitive periods, it is so important to me that I can bring Sam's story close to actual life. All while still writing about a superhero world. I want to carry on the message that Stan Lee and Co. began. 
> 
> With all of the love in the world, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3


	5. Executive Orders and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories we simply move to a couple of hours later. Bucky looks at the man in the mirror and sees him for who he is. Who is James Buchanan Barnes and what is he doing what his life? Find out on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

Bucky had a certain routine he’d follow in the morning. It consisted of getting up at five o’clock am to jog around the block three times, showering, feeding Alpine, either making breakfast or waking Sam up so he could do it instead, then going to work/Avengers Tower to see what the rest were up to. It would slightly vary day to day just because life wasn’t a straight line until the end. It just would because he had so many interesting people in his life and the ability to rediscover who he was again. The memories of the past would pop up randomly, like once when he was watching the news he remembered that he liked Cab Calloway and quickly made his way onto Youtube to play it as he cleaned the house. Life was beginning to feel like it was his again. Like the man, he saw in those pictures weren’t a different version of him. But rather like they were the _younger_ version of him, that he was the man he was always meant to be. And when the realizations hit him, he became the truest form of James Buchanan Barnes.

But this morning wasn’t like the rest. This morning he was getting his physical activity in... _other ways._

When he woke, he felt Sam's chest pressed against him with his arm wrapped around Bucky. Legs entangled with each other and the bedsheets, blanket forgotten halfway off the bed. The memories of the night came flooding back to him. Bucky was truly grateful that Sam went through all of the trouble to give him such an interactive birthday. On top of it all, he got to see all of the people he spent time with actually come to his party. Many of them bringing gifts that you would only get if you were paying close attention to someone. It warmed his heart to see that anyone cared enough to listen to him. 

Bucky glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was 3:15, meaning that he only got about an hour of sleep. He didn’t mind though, he felt like he had a full eight hours plus. He carefully unraveled himself from Sam and silently made his way to the bathroom. The loss of body heat made Bucky shiver, he cursed himself for not putting on clothes before going to the bathroom. After he relieved himself, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. _My beard is looking a bit rough_ , he mused. He put his hair into a ponytail with his hands. He liked his long hair but it was getting old now. Bucky covered up his hair with his hands in different places trying to decide what would look best for him. 

He dropped both hands to his sides and stared into the mirror again. For so long he took orders from people that didn’t have his best interests in mind. Hydra, the military, his own family at times. The thought provoked a feeling of a newfound need to reclaim himself. That his hair would be long because he said so. That his beard would grow at the rate he wanted. He would love who he wanted. With each affirmation he thought of the fluorescent LED light in the bathroom grew brighter. It brightened till he couldn’t see himself but the new truest form of James Buchanan Barnes. From now on he made executive decisions. 

Bucky opened the bottom cabinet and rummaged through it. He found hair clippers, hair scissors, Sam’s brand new pack of razors, and some shaving cream. He did his face first, applying the shaving cream and getting to work. When he washed off the remainder of the shaving cream, he felt refreshed. Like a wave of something unbearable and pure. Next, he ran his hands through his hair a couple of times, trying to picture how he could cut it without looking like a complete dummy. He decided the best way was to just cut off whatever was beyond the nape of his neck. Then he cut around his head until he reached his desired length. He pulled out the clippers and faded both sides of his hair, leaving the top alone with a little length. He believed it was called a short blow out with tampered cuts. He saw this style in a magazine at the barbershop when he went with Sam once. When he was done he turned side to side, examining his work. It turned out well to his surprise. 

Realizing the mess he made, he hurriedly cleaned off the hair from the floor and countertops, putting away the cosmetic devices back underneath the sink. He turned the bathroom lights off and tried to walk as quietly as he could back to his room. He peered around the door to see Sam resting on his arms, looking at him. His face bore sleepy confusion when he saw Bucky, at first not recognizing him. Bucky walked further into the room and laid down on the bed facing Sam.

“Oh my god. What in the world happened to you?” he spoke gently. 

“Hey Sammie. Um, uh, I guess you can say I had an epiphany.”

“Yeah?” he laughed. “The kind that makes you cut your hair, naked at three in the morning?”

“Hmm at least I didn’t get a tattoo and dye my hair.”

“I can just imagine you with neon blue and green hair. Looking like a whole energy drink.”

“Well that depends on how thirsty I make you now, Sammie.” Bucky looked down at Sam's muscular chest, being lit up by the orange streetlight. He placed a soft hand on Sam’s exposed hip. He slowly dragged his eyes up to Sam’s face, putting an innocent look on his face when he got to eye level.

Sam delicately grabbed Bucky’s face and placed a single tender kiss, sweet and filled with love, on Bucky’s lips. 

“Who am I looking at right now?” Sam asked. “Is this the same man I made love to last night? Or is it someone different?”

Bucky considered his words, then looked Sam straight in the eye. “I’m James Buchanan Barnes. I was yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that. I’m him today too, just older, wiser, and smarter. Constantly growing at an exponential rate,” he pulled himself closer to Sam. “And I want to continue doing so. Just with you by my side, if you’re willing.” This time Bucky kissed Sam, it lasts a couple of seconds longer. 

“I’d like that if you don’t mind...,” Sam thought about it for a second. “James.” Another kiss.

“Nah, sounds too formal. I’m not your boss.” Another.

“Okay then, Jamie.” Sam offered. Two more. Bucky was lying on his back now.

“I like that. Jamie. Sounds famous.” He littered feather-like kisses over Sam’s neck.

“You’re a star in my book.” 

That was the last coherent thing Sam said for the next hour. This time it wasn’t urgent and fiery like earlier. It was still filled with passion, but this time it was smoother. More time to think, more time to ask. The discoveries made here were going to last. This time they could still hear the sounds of the city going by, the scratches at their door, the sweet-tempered creaks of the bed. This time it had more meaning, greater stakes. 

This morning wasn’t like other mornings. This time, Jamie made executive decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! This chapter isn't super special but I couldn't leave our fav supers hanging after what happened last night. Next chapter will probably also be in Bucky's perspective or maybe I'll spice it up and switch between the two, who knows? I just had to let Bucky have his own choice in hair this time because I want to specify that he's moved on from the 40s' and the Winter Soldier by combining the two together. If Bucky ever gets long hair again, it'll forever be on his own terms. Not worrying about hiding anymore. Well that all for now, enjoy loves!
> 
> With care, ObvioiuslyOtter xoxo <3  
> (p.s. the transfer from what I'm working from and AO3 sometimes messes the format up so I'm sorry for the inconsistencies.)


	6. The World Is Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Bucky deal with their newfound love and the consequences it might bring to their relationship. What might be their reaction, you say? Well find out today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

With new relationships, comes new territory. Sam and Bucky? Well, they were discovering some of it _very_ fast.

Ever since they got together they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Whether it was holding hands, kissing, hugging, or even sex, they felt the need to be touching. It even briefly got brought up between kisses. 

“Again already?” Sam asked breathing heavily.

Bucky smiled,” Just making up for lost time.” Before you know it they were back to kissing.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing just bad for when they were around other people. The two had decided to keep it a secret for a while. Like a forbidden romance that wasn’t exactly forbidden. In all honesty, they were on a high. Flying above the worries of the world. It opened up something new for both, suddenly not being afraid to go out together and worrying that it was too romantic. That the other would push them away and they wouldn’t talk anymore.

The hardest part was keeping it from Natasha. Sam saw her as one of his best friends and after the talk, they had in the car on Bucky’s birthday, he wanted to tell her so very badly. But Bucky convinced him otherwise. 

“Sam, no,” he put the bowls of ice cream on the table and draped the blanket over the both of them. “If she finds out she might be tempted to tell Steve or Tony.”

“And what if she wouldn’t?”

“And if she wouldn’t she would give it away through her actions. Nat is like a little sister to me and little sisters don’t like to keep their mouths shut.”

“Trust me I know that Bucky. It’s just that it’s gonna be hard trying to hide it. We should be able to trust our friends. They can help hide it from the media a lot better than just us two.” Sam tried to reason. 

It was a valid point. One of the main reasons they didn’t want to tell everyone is because they didn’t want it spreading to the media. Steve going back in time was jarring enough, even if he came “right” back out after realizing he couldn’t find happiness the same way as before. His decision to pass down the job of Captain America to Sam left the world shocked. He explained that he would still be Captain America but the main focus would shift to Sam. With the backlash, Sam faced for being a black Captain America, he wouldn’t dare let people know his sexuality or that he was dating Steve’s best friend from back in the day.

Besides the media, they didn’t want villains who decided to come out of hiding to kidnap one to get to the other. It just seemed like the best idea for now until the world was ready.

They couldn’t lock themselves away in the apartment forever though. Duty still called even during the quarantine. Villians or even just regular guys in masks took the golden opportunity to rob banks and demand highly dangerous science stuff. One guy had a crush on Pepper and wanted to duel Tony for her hand. Carol just walked up behind him and tased him.

Luckily they’d displayed enough affection that laying their heads down on each other’s laps after missions wasn’t suspicious. They couldn’t do much more than that but it sated them until they were able to be more affectionate. 

It was sneaky but felt clandestine. To lie and live in the arms of the only other person who held your secrets. After they’d switch out of their suits they would walk amongst the festivities in leather jackets and jeans. Past the clay brick buildings where concerts and movies were held. Eating at new restaurants, drinking in bars, sometimes they’d gamble. Bucky would go outside and pull out a smoke. Sam would follow, trying to take it out of Bucky’s hand. 

“Jamie, no!” Sam would say, struggling to not burn himself while stopping his idiot boyfriend from killing himself. ”Those things aren’t good for you.” Maybe the giggles made his tone less effective.

Bucky laughed, spinning and swirling Sam around with his cigarette in hand. Tugging him close so that their face to face, no longer swirling around the world but the world around them. “Sammie baby, neither are you.” He took a pull off of his cigarette and blew it into Sam’s face.

When the morning was young and the night was old, when it wasn’t even the same twenty-four hours they woke up in, they’d whisk themselves off into an alley and kiss. Deeper than they ever have before, not a drop of care of who saw. Reclaiming their twenties and teens for what they wanted it to be and be with. Sam would sometimes remember what his father said to him, shame and guilt burrowing itself into his heart. But then he would look at Bucky, shining brighter than the streetlamps on the darkest of somber nights. Smiling like the world was just a place that wasn’t falling faster each second.

They run off to fairs on Friday nights and Saturday misgivings. Riding rollercoasters and Ferris wheels. Spending good money on greasy, fattening food only to throw it up into a trash can after riding the gravity rides. If they were lucky it would be held by the dock where they could rent a boat. At twelve-thirty there was always firework shows that brightened the sky with wonder. Bucky made a habit of carrying a camera around to take pictures, even with the invention of phones, an expensive camera made all the difference. He felt unadulterated happiness when he got to the city boy he always dreamed of.

As it neared closing or they felt that they were tipsy enough, they would run together. Hurrying home before Natasha would notice they had been gone the entire time. The noise of bands playing and people chattering filling their ears. Then they would board the subway where it was quiet and bleak. White lights beaming down on their eyelids, making it hard to sleep but placing a spell on the drunkenness. 

When they’d get off of the subway, Sam would have to convince Bucky that they weren’t allowed to hold hands anymore because of how close they were to the house. 

“Jam- Bucky we can’t,” he whispered. 

Bucky stopped and wrapped his arms around Sam refusing to let go. “Shhh. Call me that again, bird brain. I like it when you say my name,” he slurred slightly, walking backward. “I want the world to know that when we fuck that you call out that name.”

“Okay you’re drunk. We’re getting home now.” Sam slung Bucky over his shoulder and continued walking.

“Sammie babe put me down. I’m not even that drunk.” Sam didn’t comply at first but Bucky’s incessant whining combined with the fact he was feeling a buzz too made him rethink his choice.

“Okay fine. But we can’t hold hands, deal?”

“Deal.” 

Along the way they passed the convenience stores and shops that were just now closing up for the night. People hanging out in front of their houses with faint music playing from speakers or from inside the house, most people retiring for the night. Only a couple of things remained open: 7/11 and the liquor store. Noticing this Bucky made no effort to warn Sam that he was walking into 7/11. 

“Bucky damn, wait for me!” Sam called to him, but the only reply he got was small laughter emanating from his boyfriend. He entered after Bucky, slightly thankful because he could go for some candy at the moment. They made their purchases fairly fast, buying mostly junk and two Slurpees. It wasn’t great food for two superheroes who always needed to be in tip-top shape. But they could afford to gain a pound of sugar without negative effects. 

Sam just really wanted to make it home and get off his feet, the long day of fighting plus going out was beginning to take a toll. However, Bucky had one more plan and did the same thing he had just done seven minutes prior and dipped into the liquor store. This time Sam just huffed a sigh and followed him in.

He smiled at the owner who watched them walk in, keeping a wary eye on them. Bucky made his way to the wine and grabbed a box of white Moscato. He looked around for something else but apparently not finding what he was looking for and walked through the other aisles. He found the section of Smirnoff and took one labeled green apple. Sam stayed quiet during the entire affair only offering to take the bags from Bucky so he could handle the alcohol. The transaction went smooth, the cashier not bothering to check their ID’s. Then they walked the rest of the way home without interruption. 

  
  


Once they were home they set their bags down on the counter, Bucky going to the bathroom, Sam sitting at the island. He stared at the bag for a full minute before getting up to make food for the both of them. After he got the food in the oven he left to change his clothes. He emerged with his favorite snowman pj’s and no shirt on. Bucky must’ve had the same idea because when Sam walked to the kitchen he saw Bucky standing there with his light grey sweatpants and a white tank top on. He was holding a record in his hand but Sam could see multiple records on the counter.

“You gonna play a song?”

“Mmm… Maybe. Yes. Yes I will.” Then proceeded to play Summertime by Louis Armstrong. A song that came out years after he fell. 

It was a bittersweet thing. To drink white Moscato with chicken nuggets at two in the morning after going out to fairs during a nationwide quarantine that was still in effect, hiding a love from friends, family, and coworkers alike, doing dumb things that made no sense. It was bitter like the bites of dark chocolate Bucky took between his lips and the coffee they would have to drink in a few hours. On the other hand, he did it all with a man he could call his best friend and lover, they now lived as forever partners in crime, sins that they could never feel guilty for. It was sweet like the smell of the flowers he bought on impulse inside 7/11 for Sam. Sweet like cherry covered roses and the mind’s imagination of dark red wine. It countered itself to the point of contradiction, hypocrisy in the form of duality. Bitter like their past and sweet like their future. 

At some point Bucky got up and changed the record but he couldn’t remember that right now, he was too busy convincing Sam to slow dance with him. He succeeded eventually, putting his arms around his partner’s neck. Sam’s arms took position around his waist. It wasn’t really a dancing position, more like an embrace, but nevertheless, they began a slow waltz. 

It felt like a Thursday or Sunday evening, after a tiring day that wasn’t the greatest but not the worse. It had a serenity to it, Alpine being the only other person watching. They danced silently, not feeling the need for words. All up until Bucky decided to speak again, he needed Sam to know. 

“I feel warm inside, Sam,” Bucky said into his shoulder. 

“You feeling warm from one glass of boxed Moscato?” Sam questioned, looking humored by Bucky’s statement.

Bucky looked into Sam’s eyes, “No idiot,” he denied softly. “From you.”

They danced until the record went off. Then Sam took Bucky by the hand and led him to his room. They slept through the phone calls and texts, deciding to answer them when they felt energized. Early morning passing by into the busy afternoon. When asked, Sam would show the unopened bottle of Smirnoff, so to chalk it off at drunkenness rather than the simple fact they were hiding a forbidden love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bon soir my lovelies! Or good morning honestly I have to stop staying up late. I feel as if this chapter could've been better on my part but it's important to get what you can out there. I've been feeling like I want to write an actual full-fledged fic of them with *gasp* a plotline? I feel like some of these scenes embody more of a full story with an arc but I try to keep super business out of it. Just them learning to be friends with people and enjoy who they are. I think it's time to dig deeper though. I don't know, how do y'all feel? Anyways, enjoy!
> 
> Constantly and Forever, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3  
> (p.s. I started a side blog for SamBucky on Tumblr. It's called supercityboys if your interested.)


	7. There's Nuance to the Nuisance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a little conflict between our favorite love bird and residential cyborg (~16%). Our quirks and values are unique to us and what separates people from each other. Consequently, they can lead to undesired outcomes and clashes with the people we love. And that folks is exactly what we're exploring today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

Rainy, dreary, tired, lifeless, and cold empty rain. They are symbolic of the tears on a bad day; the clouds they pour from, an omen for the bad ahead. Each step in it a miserable one, each step moving you towards more misery. Bucky could drown in the rain, just lie in the fields of grass overrun with water. He laid in bed imaging that it would be like to watch the world create a new ocean. On the other hand, there was lightning. The bright flashing, the thunder that came after it. It was a boring cycle of pain that didn’t cease until the rain stopped. Even then, lightning was special that way, it could occur when there was no rain. And to balance the offset the rain could come even with the sun shining brightly.

It was all so cliche and corny to Bucky. Too expectant of the weather to be that way. Of course, he merely felt like this because today’s weather matched his mood too well. It matched his feelings towards certain aspects of his life. He was drowning in the water and all the lightning did was taunt him. Unwilling to grace the water with its shocking touch, unwilling to end his suffering. 

_ Again? Godamn it Sam. _

Bucky threw the leftover coffee beans away and started making a new pot. It hit the garbage can with a loud thwap, partially sticking to the side. Startled, Alpine turned his fluffy white head towards the bin, he was sitting on the counter watching Bucky. 

“Sorry little guy,” Sam said, giving light scratches to Alpine's head, “I’m just a little frustrated, that’s all,” Alpine responded with a small meow, almost like he understood Bucky’s words.

For now it was just them together, Sam having to go out of town for the next three weeks for a mission. When Bucky woke up that morning, he expected it to be quiet. What he didn’t expect was to find that Sam completely fled the house without telling him. He left early this morning without waking Bucky up to tell him goodbye, instead, leaving a sticky note on the fridge. Bucky began to well with emotions he hadn’t felt in a long time: fussy, angry, and hurt. 

Bucky wasn’t the jealous, clingy type in a relationship but the stakes were higher now. They were superheroes who had enemies; they were gay in a world that didn’t accept them fully; Sam was an African American male who could easily be profiled for no good reason. These worries swirled their way through Bucky’s head leaving him nauseous in the pit of his stomach. Bucky glanced out of the window to still his stomach. Listening to the sound of pouring rain pounding against the window, the same rain that he hated a moment ago. How he envied it now, for giving the secrets of the night and day to the window pane. He wished to know those secrets.

They’ve been dating for about a month now but have been good friends for longer. So some of the milestones that when into regular relationships didn’t apply to theirs. Bucky had already been accustomed to some of Sam’s weird habits or just a particular way of living. And it worked fine for the most part, but now they had to create new boundaries for the ones they destroyed. Such as when one had to use the bathroom when the other was getting ready for the day. Before they would set times, now they merged some it. The new routine saved some time but it left for miscommunication on when it was appropriate to merge in other places. Like when doing laundry or when to have downtime with each other. 

On top of all of that, there were the nuisances that everyone has with one another. Small gripes that aren’t the worst but you could be better without them. Then there were issues. The type that could make or break the relationship you had with someone. Bucky remembered last night, Sam telling him about just throwing things in the basket, that he should read the prices better and look for deals because their grocery bills were too pricey. It wasn’t that big of a deal to Bucky, they made enough money to more than cover it. However, Sam argued that it was a big deal. 

“What would happen if they were in a situation where money was required? Like hostage situations, buying a new car if it got destroyed, emergency money in case we ever became fugitives Bucky? Huh? Then what?” Sam argued.

“Sam as someone who lived exactly that life and went through the great depression, I can assure you that we would be quite alright. While getting a new car is a bit of a hassle I’m pretty sure we have insurance that would cover it,” Bucky replied coolly. Maybe he was being slightly  _ too _ nonchalant but he doubted he wouldn’t be able to survive in the world without a surplus of money. 

Sam just looked at Bucky visibly dejected and sat next to him, not bothering to continue the conversation or end it formally. He began scrolling through social media, obviously looking to be distracted from their small argument. Sam wasn’t a fighter, Bucky soon discovered after living with him, he was a man full of love that was waiting to be un-conditionalized. The love most people said was a weakness, that love was fought for with godly force. 

However, Bucky was feeling irritated with that behavior. While it was good to let go and recollect your thoughts when you were less angry, Sam tended to let the issue go forever. Or rather, until it came up again. Then it would get ignored until it built up tension between them, that tension would usually dissipate into the air after a mission or a good day, that was before they started dating. Although now, Bucky noticed, those problems would be solved after they were naked in bed. Bucky knew from countless friends and even family members, that sex was not how you solve a problem in your relationship. They needed to talk and come up with a compromise to this problem before they went to bed tonight.

“Sam?” he said softly.

“Hmm?” Sam replied, only glancing at Bucky.

“I’m sorry,” Sam looked up at him fully and shifted to face them. “I was acting like a bitch there for a moment. I understand where your coming from Sammie, it’s just nice being afforded some luxury. Steve wasn’t the only one putting newspaper in his shoes, y’know? I’m sorry for acting out and I promise to help out from now on when you go through your coupon rages.” Bucky held Sam’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of Sam’s hand. 

Sam reciprocated Bucky’s affection and held both of Bucky’s hands in his. “It’s fine Bucky. We just need to be careful with the things we have.”

“I understand Sammie. I’m just not used to this domestic life stuff anymore. Or at least being domestic in America.” 

“I know. It’s hard being an old man in a new world, and you’re like, _ super _ old,” Sam joked. The sarcasm, snark, and wisecracks rapidly funneled back into the room. 

The rest of the night went along smooth, Bucky being happy that Sam didn’t get angry at him and the situation was more or less solved. But that didn’t mean the cycle was broken completely. He still wanted to have a sit down with Sam and talk about how they could both be better about how arguments were handled. So before bed, after completing his nightly routine, he confronted Sam about what was on his mind.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that-” Bucky tried to say.

“No, don’t start with that, ‘it’s just that’ shit. Be honest and clear, I can handle it.”

“You can handle it?” Bucky began to yell. “You obviously can’t Sam, all I did was bring it up! You didn’t even give me a chance to say what I had to fully.”

Sam laughed. “Fucking no, Bucky. You didn’t just ‘bring it up’. You fucking placed the entire thing on me. It would have been different if you had just said that we were going through a cycle.”

They had been going at it for a while before that moment. Bucky was starting to feel a little guilty about how he approached the problem but you can’t stop a raging fire that burns with no air, so his rational thinking had flown out the window. One raised voice above another, battling to overcome the other. When the voices raised, the floodgates opened, every problem they ever had pouring from the broken dam. They would grow to regret this in the morning, Bucky thought without a doubt. Natasha would probably end up hearing too, but that was beyond them right now, because you know, you can’t stop a burning fire. And if you don’t put a large enough amount of water on a fire it just grows, so Sam’s eyes welling up didn’t stop it either. It just made them mad at themselves, Sam for crying over a dumb argument, Bucky for making Sam cry.

Eventually Sam had enough of the arguing and asked Bucky to leave.

“What?” Bucky asked.

“Please just go Bucky. I want to sleep alone tonight,” he said, sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. “I think this time doesn’t qualify as me running away.”

Bucky didn’t reply. He just left out barely closing the door behind him, not looking at Sam. The combination of sadness and anger left him feeling broken-hearted. The words they exchanged were thrown carelessly into the void they created. At some point not even looking to be proper, just to hurt. 

A particularly bright lightning bolt struck across the sky followed closely by the roar of lightning. The noise snapped Bucky back to his senses. Moving away from the window, Bucky sat on the couch, not bothering to turn on the tv. He was already stressed but he couldn’t stop replaying last night’s events in his head.

Just when Bucky was going to break into tears, he felt the buzz of his phone coming from his front pocket. He picked up at the fourth ring, swallowing the lump in his throat, trying to reign his tears. He took one deep breath and answered the phone.

“Hey.”

“Hey Jamie. How are you doing?” Sam answered softly like he cared. 

“I’m doing fine. You alright? I was pretty worried that you had been kidnapped.” Bucky tried to joke but the air felt stale., he started pacing to relieve some of the anxiety.

“Yeah sorry about that, it was an emergency. Actually, we caught one of the guys. We just need him to give up the info and take out the other bosses, you know the drug dealers and middlemen. Then comes the cleanup, then the paperwork, oh god the paperwork. You understand the process though I don’t need to explain it.” Sam’s rambling always made him smile. It was the way his eyebrows furrowed when he didn’t know how to end it. Even without seeing his face Bucky could envision it through the phone call.

He began to cheer up. “I haven’t been on any drug raids before but they sound the same as the big science guys.” 

“Well then, I’ll make sure to take you with me on the next one. It’ll be our next date."

“That’s your idea of a date, bird brain?” he said flatly.

“Uhhhh,” Sam thought about it, “I mean it is if you want it to be.” 

Bucky laughed. “Ok it’s a date.”

“It’s a date. Just next time I won’t have half of the Avengers tag along with us.”

“Oh? Who are you with?”

“Okay, at least I know where the rest of the group is at.” He heard a knock at the door. _ “ _ I have to go, someone is at the door.”

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I ordered you some food to spare you the pain of cooking lunch or dinner. Whatever you choose. Alright, I should head off, I’ll text or call you later, okay?”

“Yup, thank you, Sam, I love you.” Because he really did, even with all of his flaws. There was nuance to the nuisance. Sam’s weird habits or little eccentricities were done with love on his mind. How could you ever hate that? 

“I love you too.” And with that the phone call ended. 

Bucky opened the door, feeling bad for leaving the delivery person waiting right outside. When he opened it, however, he was met with the face of Natasha and Tony standing there with the food.

“Um,” Bucky said looking at the two standing there.

Tony spoke through eating the fries out of the bag, “Don’t worry about this, you owe me.  _ Buuuuut _ , I would like to know why you told Sam you loved him.”

Bucky moved aside to let them in and led them to the couch where both sat looking at him expectantly.

“So you may be-” he started but was interrupted by the loud crinkling of the paper bags Tony was still eating from. Bucky snatched the bags from Tony, eliciting a small, “Hey!” from the short scientist, and put them on the countertop. He resumed his position in front of the couch before going off to explain everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salutations, my lovelies! I've arrived with a new chapter as promised, albeit late. I was having a hard time writing well so I thought a break was well deserved. While it is good to get out there what you can, it doesn't mean that the quality of the works should be less than performative. I've recently started diving into learning how to design stuff, so that's been taking up some of my writing time. I wanted to bring Tony into the story just because I see him as the type to show up randomly to people's houses. Also because of his apology from a couple of chapters back, stating that he understands the difference between Bucky and *that* Winter Soldier.
> 
> With full dearness, sincerely, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3  
> (p.s. Ty for all of the comments and kudos! I should get better at replying to those...)


	8. Loved Is Stored Inside Of Spaghetti and Hushed Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories! Sam finally comes home from the longest mission of his life to Tony cooking. Not ideal given Tony's track record but maybe the 'Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist' will prove himself a worthy adversary in the kitchen. Will Sam apologize formally to Bucky? Find out today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to start replying to comments like this from now own so I can respond to all. Once I do it regularly it should be so much more efficient and look cleaner. 
> 
> (Ch 1) blvckdork (Yay!), 27dis (Thank you! I hope you’ve enjoyed the rest of it!), charlie (I feel the same way and I’m the writer!), Winterfalcon15 (Thank you bby!), Queen of Colors (I hope it stays cute for you! But I’m a sucker for angst so maybe that’ll show up more), SamSpiritWinchester (Hell yeah bbyyy!!)  
> (Ch 2) Even_The_Stars (I was so excited for Hawkeye in Thor when they showed him grabbing the arrow instead of the guns. They really had no excuse to do that to me like that -_-)
> 
> Special Thanks to Siancore who commented on all of my chapters! Thank you so much, I love your continued enthusiasm for each chapter!

Sam was happy to finally be home. Three weeks of fighting and investigating non-stop, aftermath resulting in massive paperwork, he was finally allowed to go home. 

He was pretty happy to go home now that he had a partner waiting for him. Sam missed Bucky terribly and had been thinking of what he said the night before he left. It began to occur to him that maybe Bucky hadn’t meant to say it so harshly but it was a pretty frustrating thing to go through when you’re trying to make a relationship last and set the balance. He cringed at night, thinking about all of the things he did instead of apologizing. Nice phonecalls and sending food wasn’t cutting it. Overall, Sam wanted to apologize in person, not through text, to tell Bucky that he wanted to make a change.

Natasha and Tony weren’t on the mission with him like he told Bucky. Instead, they opted to go back after finding some files on shipments that were going to dock in New York. When they were done with that, they stayed to finish whatever else the team sent them. Sam had no doubt that they explained that to Bucky, so he decided he didn’t have to correct his error. What he didn’t expect was for Tony and Natasha to be at his house when he opened the door.

“Oh hey y’all. What are you doing here?” Sam asked, dropping his duffle bag down next to the coat hanger. 

“Cooking!” Tony beamed ecstatically from the kitchen. To Sam’s surprise, it smelt pretty good.

“Uh-huh. I see but why are you doing that at _ my _ house?”

“Well um,” Tony eyes darted around the kitchen, looking for an answer. “You never said I couldn’t,” he finally settled on.

“Because Pepper would kill him if he burned down the Tower,” Natasha corrected from the couch.

Sam laughed,” Yeah that seems about right. Hey Nat, how you doin’?” Sam dipped to hug her from behind the couch.

“Nothing much, just writing a list of ideas down for Steve. He told me he needed the inspiration to draw.”

“Is he here?” 

“Oh yeah, he’s in the back with Bucky. I think he showed him the slideshow you made.”

“Okay let me go tell Bucky I’m home and say to Steve.’ Sam said as he walked off to Bucky’s room.

Bucky’s door was completely shut, so Sam knocked before he entered. Steve opened the door and hugged Sam. Sam could see Alpine’s furry little body basking in the sunlight on top of the window sill. Bucky was sitting in his armchair next to the window.

“Man, how’d you make it to my house before I did?” Sam asked comically, walking into Bucky’s room fully. Sam dabbed Bucky up then sat in his bed.

“I headed back with T’Challa. Wakandan planes are like,” Steve make a swift motion with his hand, “really fast.”

“Yeah I know, I know. Nat told me Bucky showed you the slideshow.”

“It was really nice of you Sam, I remember some of those pictures too. Especially the summer in 27’ when we broke the fire hydrant and had the police chase us.” Small laughter came from all three of them.

“I still don’t understand how you committed so many crimes and still herald as the face of America,” Sam shook his head in disbelief. 

“Neither can I,” Bucky said with exasperation only a mother could have for her wayward child.

“It’s the smile!” Steve proclaimed proudly and shone a picture-perfect Hollywood style smile. 

They all laughed again and talked a little more to catch up on each other and ask what the next mission was gonna be about. Sam made sure to keep his distance from Bucky to keep himself from accidentally touching Bucky’s leg or arm, as he’s done so many times before. He didn’t want to keep this secret from Steve, or any of the group for that matter, but as time went on, he began to realize that he wouldn’t be able to keep loving this way. Sam was a loud person. He liked loud sounds, loud music, loud laughter. He loved strongly and thoroughly, without shame or guilt, without the need to know how the common passerby felt about it. He loved to share, to learn, to grow. The social media scene wasn’t in him but he loved to share the beautiful things in life. That was the thing about Sam’s love, it made the world look different. He was nothing more than loving and compassionate. Love was the beginning of him and it would without a doubt be the end of him.

The conversation came to a halt when the three heard the door open and saw Tony’s head pop from the doorway.

“Oh! Look at my three boys playing and getting along with each other,” Tony said in a thick New York accent. “It makes a mother proud. Come boys it’s time to eat.”

Sam, Bucky, and Steve looked at each other questionably, none them asking Tony what he was making or even having the mind to kick him out. Not finding an answer, they all got up from their seats and walked into the dining area. They come to discover that at some point Clint had made his way there and was sitting at the made table with Natasha. Tony ushered them to sit down and then placed the plates of spaghetti down in front of them with bread baskets, that Sam and Bucky didn’t remember owning, at both ends of the table.

After they were all seated and had food in front of them, Tony began the conversation.

“So,” he said taking a forkful of spaghetti, “how was school today?”

“Tony-” Steve spoke.

“Ma,” Tony corrected.

Steve rolled his eyes and continued, “ _ Ma _ , don’t you have, like, three kids of your own or something? One specifically that you brought to Germany to fight me?”

Tony slammed his fist down on the table. “Steve Grant Rogers! Don’t you ever say something like that! Your sister and brothers are with your aunt. You’re all my children and I love you all equally, now eat your dinner. It’s getting cold.”

Everyone laughed at the little comedy bit Tony had going on and decided to just let him have at it. It was… weird, to say the least. To have someone Sam only saw in magazines at his table eating food that they prepared. But he loved it to the last second it existed. Come to think about it, the entire situation was weird. Never did he think he’d have friends like this. People who could rob banks and national security offices, use their special abilities to break into his house. Well, he was pretty sure Bucky let them in but Bucky didn’t even know Clint was coming, so they probably did break in somehow.

Dinner was filled with outrageous laughter and stories from childhood that made all of the bad surrounding it seem quite alright. Steve sharing stories of him predominantly committing crimes constantly. Bucky seemed to recall all of the things Steve was talking about and gave his input on all of the problems Steve caused. Clint begged Tony to let him into the lab so he could create what was essentially toys. Tony eventually caved in, stating that Clint would have to have “adult supervision” for safety. 

Tony carried on the motherly affection until it was time to leave, going as far as to give everyone the cliche ‘too wet’ kiss on the cheek. Sam could tell it was planned because Tony went for Natasha first, knowing she would’ve slipped out if she saw someone else get kissed first.

They all agreed to do this again sometime and that for something impromptu, it was a lovely bonding experience. 

After everyone was gone, they went to Sam’s room for the night. After dressing, Bucky turned to Sam and gave him the biggest hug he possibly could.

“I missed you, Sammie. I’m sorry for everything I said that night,” he said tackling Sam onto the bed.

“I was about to say the same thing,” Sam looked Bucky in the eyes, “I love you. You know that right?”

“Of course, I love you too.” Bucky let go of Sam. A brief pause settled over them but Bucky had to say it. “Do you know why Tony did that?”

“Absolutely not. Why was he in our house?”

“If we’re being honest I don’t know he was here today. I thought it was just Natasha and then Steve came.”

“Um, should we get a security system?” Sam suggested.

“Probably but he’s an engineer… scien… I don’t what he is but he’ll take it down.”

“I’m calling Pepper in the morning to let her know Tony has dementia,” Sam teased.

“Sam! That is so cruel. I swear you don’t even care about us old folks.”

“Bucky technically I’m older than you. I was born in 1978.”

“Nope, that only works on Steve. I was awake most of the time, which makes me one hundred and three. Steve’s still in his thirties.”

“Okay, but who had the most careers? Me. I’m the breadwinner here.”

“We all served in the military, Sam. That doesn’t count.”

“Yeah but,” Sam dramatically lowered his head to the side and looked back up with a sad longing in his eyes, “I have I dark past.”

“Honestly Sammie, I think you’re just making a mockery of me.”

Sam laughed. “No, but you might find it interesting.” He definitely was going to regret this.

“Well, shit Sammie tell me what it is,” Bucky’s interest now bubbling to the forefront.

Sam took a deep breath and spoke his truth, “I used to act.”

“What?”

“It was a hobby of mine. A good way to keep my mind off of the bad happening in my life. I loved to act in high school and college. Eventually, I did a couple of things afterward but the super business gets my attention first.”

“You know what this means right?”

“What?”

“Movie night, doll.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon my lovelies! I come with goods and writing. So this chapter I didn't want to make super emotional or delve into the deep stuff. Maybe next chapter? If you live in America you probably know of all the horrors that have happened within 72 hours of each other and it breaks my heart. I just want to write a fun happy chapter that isn't OOC or too cannon, just bringing back those 2012 memories without the projected trauma. Also, I saw some gifs of Tony and it reminded me of how much I loved the Iron Man movies. He has so much personality and I feel like it doesn't always get portrayed correctly. So here's him making fun of Steve without the harshness. But I also feel like Tony is socially awkward in the worst possible way, so Sam and Bucky are thoroughly confused about what to do. 
> 
> With love forged into the heart of a dying star, Obviously Otter xoxo <3  
> (p.s. We're not ignoring what Anthony Mackie did in Black Mirror. We just aren't. I have never seen a man with a more confusing filmography than him. Imagine having to bested by Eminem, sleep with a man who fucked a polar bear, then next year he's Captain America???? Also, my fellow black folks, y'all saw him in the black movies growing up, right? Apparently, he was recently in a movie with Samuel Jackson??? I'm becoming famous JUST to talk to him. Please give me an answer sir. Sebastian Stan or Anthony Mackie if you read fics you need to contact me immediately cause I have questions)


	9. Came Out Of The Cafe A Whole New Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories, with the secret relationship, not a secret anymore, Bucky decides to tell his one and only best friend and brother to the end of the line. Will Steve accept him? Will Bucky know how to explain himself? Find out today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

The sun was shining at least. Bucky admitted that it was a little hot maybe it was just the leather that had him feeling like he was stuck.

In all of the years, he spent with Steve, never, Bucky meant _never_ , had he felt so uncomfortable. 

Both of the men were currently sitting at a table outside of a cafe. Coffee still piping hot, although Steve was more adventurous with his, opting to take the risk of a burnt tongue. Bucky felt too queasy inside to even touch his coffee or the danish he ordered. Shifting in his seat, he was trying his best not to let Steve know that he was feeling anxious but it wasn’t exactly working. 

“Buck, you feeling alright?” the blond inquired.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just you know,” Bucky struggled to say, “My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I’ll probably end up taking the danish home with me.”

“I know how you feel. At your birthday party, I ate so much rice. I took home maybe five plates of rice and I couldn’t even dare to look at it the next day.”

“Steve that’s because you can’t cook for the life of ya. I’m pretty sure I watched you burn a whole chicken last week.” Bucky recalled that faithful day, the flames higher than the Tower of Babel.

“What do you mean? I thought it came out lovely,” he then proceeded to burn his tongue fully on the coffee. “Ah! Shit!”

“Language!” Bucky joked. 

“Uh-huh. Quite funny, who told you about that?”

“It’s a joke the rest of the team makes behind your back.” 

“Sure. Just blame the entire team so I can’t figure out who did it.”

Bucky had no response instead, he sipped on his coffee and wonder if he should order an iced coffee for Sam. Steve watched Bucky from under his baseball cap, not at all making it subtle. Bucky challenged his stare.

“Oh c’mon what is it, Steve? I didn’t even say anything this time.”

Steve gave Bucky the I Know Somethings Up look and sat his coffee down on the table. “Bucky I know when your thinking hard about something. Trust me, it doesn’t happen much so I know when it’s happening. If there’s something on your mind let it be free, I won’t judge.”

Bucky leaned back into his seat looking around the city. It looked almost exactly like he thought it would in the future. The young boys in school and the military often dreamt of the stereotypical flying cars but Bucky always dreamt of neverending lights. He finally landed his eyes back on Steve. For the most part, he could trust Steve. There wasn’t a true reason not to. Bucky already told Sam of the incident that occurred after their phonecall that morning. Even though Sam wanted to tell everyone from the start (bless his heart) learning that they found out accidentally almost brought him to tears. Now that Tony and Natasha knew Bucky wanted to personally tell Steve of his sexuality. 

In reality, it was a small thing. But they grew up in a world where it was the mother of sins. Bucky didn’t know if Steve still held those views or if he even had them in him at all. Steve and he had the talk about racial issues way back when, even having secret friends that they would meet with when the adults weren’t looking, so he knew that much. When Steve finds out about his secret relationship with Sam, he at least has that base covered. 

There was so much potential Steve’s reaction held. He was Bucky only family left, his brother to the end of the line. What would he do without him? 

“I’m gay.” _Rip it clean off like a bandaid, it’ll hurt less._

Steve’s face blanked completely. He sat forward and looked Bucky directly in the eyes like he was in an interview. It took him a minute to gain the words he was looking for, at first stuttering and stumbling over words before shutting his mouth to think. Bucky kept his face devoid of any emotion the entire time, like it would keep him from feeling anything.

It felt like years were going by. People laughing all around them, not bothered by the situation at hand. Finally, Steve spoke. Slowly but surely.

“Buck I-, I’m proud of you.” Bucky raised his eyebrow at hearing those words. “I’m happy for you,” Steve stated with more sureness, “I don’t know if it’s something new that you discovered or if it’s always been there but I do know that I’m happy that you’ve entered a new stage of life, I guess.” Steve maintained eye contact even after he finished, he looked like he meant his words, and that was good enough for Bucky. 

Now it was Bucky’s turn to speak, not at all prepped for any reaction Steve may have given him. Tears began to well in his eyes and he could feel the lump in his throat begin to form. “Thank you, Steve. I didn’t know how you would react at all and I just want to formally tell you because you’re like a brother to me, truly,” Bucky rambled trying to get out every word he possibly could before the tears took over. 

“Bucky it’s okay, it’s okay, I would never hate someone for something so minuscule. You know that Buck. Any views I did hold were destroyed years ago, I promise.” Steve covered one of Bucky’s hands in his, squeezing firmly.

“But I do have one question, Buck.” Bucky nodded his head. “Why and how did you pick up so many girls? Like it’s kind of not fair,” Steve joked.

Bucky laughed. _Of course, Steve would want to know._ He ran a hand through his hair and sniffed back the runniness in his nose. “I, um, don’t know if I like girls or not, if that makes sense. I know that I like men, but I’m starting to, or I guess I always have questioned if I truly liked girls or if it was a projection of what people told me.” Steve nodded, urging Bucky to continue. “And um, my father you know how he was. A man’s man. He oozed masculinity. Shit, half of the reason I was popular at Lehigh was because of him. I’d hate for him to know that I’m even declaring myself a homo.”

“Well Buck he’s not here to judge and even if he was, he shouldn’t. You deserve better than whatever he told you.”

“It was my mother too y’ know. And occasionally my brothers teasing me but it didn’t feel like teasing now that I look back at it. We were just boys, how could they’ve known? So I won’t hold it against them.”

“I’m glad to hear that Buck. It seems like you have most of it figured out then huh?”

“Not fully but I’m learning,” Bucky admitted. 

“Let’s get walking so we don’t have the entire conversation here in public.”

“That’s probably a good idea, let’s go.”

They walked back to the apartments, letting go of the previous conversation for a while. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Bucky’s soul. He felt freer not having to hide such a big secret from his brother anymore. To say it in a normal voice, not hushed whispers when no one was looking. He loved a little louder today because he was a new James Buchanan Barnes. 

When they got home, Sam was cleaning Alpine’s litterbox. The house smelled like pine sol and happiness. He gave Sam the danish he bought earlier and the iced coffee. 

“And this is for you,” he said handing him both.

“Thank you, I didn’t know what I was going to eat this morning. Let me wash my hands and I’ll come join y’all.”

Steve and Bucky went to the couch and started playing a videogame. Sam and Clint insisted that if they were to join them on game night, the two would have to learn about the wonders of modern technology. Which meant beating Bucky and Steve at Mario Kart until they got better and starting winning some. Bucky and Steve moved on to bigger things and found that they enjoyed videogames. Now it was customary for a boys night every third Thursday of the month to be game night.

When Sam came back he sat near Bucky on the beanbag that was pulled in front of the couch. Bucky and Steve mostly made up the conversation, with small input from Sam. Eventually, Sam got up to rinse his hands of glaze and Steve turned towards Bucky.

“Does he know?” Steve asked in a hushed voice. Bucky didn’t respond at first, he waited for Sam to come back and sit on the beanbag. 

He made the motion for Sam to move closer, “Sammie, come here.” When Sam was close enough, he dipped down and kissed Sam on the lips. Sam kissed him back, knowing that Bucky was going to be dramatic about his reveal.

“I love you,” Bucky said in between kisses.

“I love you too, Jamie,” Sam spoke back.

When they looked up Steve was red in the cheeks but smiling. “I’m happy for you both. I really am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening my lovelies! Today I was feeling extra so I wrote another chapter to make up for my absence from before. Nothing Much to say right now, enjoy!
> 
> With sprinkled care, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3


	10. Ashes Too Close To The Sun And Too Close To Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories! Rooftops, the therapy room of superheroes in New York. Sam and Bucky have a small session on top of one after a mission. Will Bucky have his questions answered? Will Sam reveal something big? Find out on Sam and Bucky's Quarantine Stories!

“But what if we destroyed the world?”

“Huh?’

“You heard me. What if we destroyed the world?”

Sam contemplated Bucky’s words, a blank expression covering his initial surprise. Looking forward to the falling sun, he took the last sip of his iced coffee. Upon the roofs, the city still looked as complicated as it was when inside. Colors blended so nicely from afar, buildings in perfect shapes. He loved growing up here, he loved the culture, he loved so many things that made New York, New York. Still, there was so much to hate and dislike, so much to fix. It felt like a losing battle in a non-sensical war. He had been in a couple of those already.

He still didn’t have an answer but spoke anyway.

“Why would we?”

“Mmm… No good reason. It’s not a ‘next game plan’ type thing,” Bucky paused as if struggling to formulate the words, “Would you still be able to find me if we were bound to destroy the world? Would you still love me?”

The questions made Sam’s heart skip a beat but made his mind race.

“I don’t know.”

“Why?”

“My actions wouldn’t be mine then, right? I would be born but I wouldn’t see the world the same. My decisions were made because _I_ made them. Even if I somehow made it semi to where I am, the me I am now, I wouldn’t be an Avenger or work on saving people. I don’t know how to love any other way than the way I do right now. What qualifies as you being bad? Would you be a bad Bucky or the Winter Soldier?”

Bucky nodded his head slowly, processing everything Sam said. 

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully

“Why?” Sam repeated back to him, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Because I love the man I know now,” he turned towards Sam, eyes shimmering with love. “You’re right, you wouldn’t be the same man. I have learned something new for myself though."

“What?”

“The Winter Soldier wasn’t a person. He was like an evil spirit out of those stereotypical horror movies. My body the shell, my mind a backburner. So, if I’m being honest, I probably would be dead.” 

“That’s a lot harsher on your life than mine.” Hearing Bucky say that left a bad taste on his tongue.

“Yeah well, Steve didn’t tell you guys about the first time I saw him as Captain America.”

“You weren’t there when he transformed?” Sam thought Bucky and Steve saw each other off for everything. 

“Nope. Howling Commandos, remember?”

“Ahh. Continue.”

“Anyway, I was probably going to be crushed to death if Stevie didn’t beef up on me. Before all of that, if I wasn’t a good person I wouldn’t have been friends with Steve in the first place. Almost all boys went to war, I would’ve just been a statistic overseas. Well, that was still a chance, unless I was pulled by Carter somehow.” Bucky grimaced slightly at the thought of his life playing out if he hadn’t fallen. He missed his family dearly but the truth of the matter always remains, he probably wouldn’t have seen them again anyway. There was no true goodbye.

A silence fell over them once more, both taking in everything, thinking about how much they still had to learn from each other. The sun was finally out for the night, leaving nothing in its wake than the potential of broken promises and doubt. 

Sam looked around to find no stars even as high as they were. Then he remembered. 

“Hey, Jamie.”

“Yes?” Bucky answered, broken from his reverie. 

“Wanna see something stupid that Tony did?” 

“Oh god, what could he have possibly done?”

Sam stood up and tapped a button on his chest, suit inverted changed to white with small bits of red on the bottom of each wing. He pressed another button and his entire suit lit up like a star on a Christmas tree, smoke billowed from the wings giving him a ghostly aura. Bucky watched in awe. A male British AI spoke up from the speaker.

“Hello, Mr. Wilson, how may I assist you today?”

“Hey, Jarvis. I just want to show off my suit to Bucky here.”

“Something Mister Stark excels in. Right away, sir.”

Sam beckoned Bucky to hop on his back. “I’m literally never going to do this for you again, so you might as well take the offer.”

Bucky laughed, “Whatever you say, Sammie. Whatever you say.” He walked closer but stopped in front of Sam. “By the way, I would destroy the world for you. Even if you’re not around, if somehow you leave me here, I would destroy it all.”

Sam simply responded, “How?” 

Bucky threw his arms around Sam’s neck and pulled him close.

“With the best love, in the worst way possible.”

That was the first time Bucky kissed the sun. He did it again when the suit changed it’s color as the night went on. He kissed the star living and dead. When the star was high in the sky and low on the Earth, when the fire raged and the water spilled. As the cars flew by, as time blinked its eye. As people watched in wonder and disgust. He kissed Sam even when he lied to himself. When he told himself that Sam would live to see the dawn of a new universe, there wasn’t a way he couldn’t. He told himself that he didn’t deserve it, the amount of pizzazz Sam put into their lives. Stars taking turns to light up the sky, that’s what he said when Sam’s brightness died down. He kissed Sam even when the suit was bright orange, even after it faded into a smooth brown, reminiscent of rich soil. He began to believe in Greek tragedies. That suddenly he was Patroclus and Sam, Achilles. If not, they were Alexander and Hephaestion. If not any of those he would gladly go on. If nothing fit, they were themselves, a tragedy in the making.

The lovers took plight when the Sun fell on restless nights. It wouldn’t take long before the public noticed and the world would explode trying to figure out who the angel in the sky was. Tony got calls from news reporters and journalists who were looking for the hottest sandal or maybe the biggest story of the year.

The next day, as they sipped on cups of coffee and watched television, they saw footage of last night’s flight. The headline read: I Saw Icarus Fly Again With The Phoenix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning? Midnight? My lovelies! I thought Sam could use a remodel too. Not like a full-blown life-changing one. But one that will add on to the universe they exist in. Also because I believe in my heart that Tony had a J.A.R.V.I.S. backup somewhere. It's just really weird for him to disappear when Jarvis means so much to Tony. I understand why he had to, but it seemed off. But I thought that Tony would give out Stark Tech to all of his teammates and Sam was the perfect person for that!
> 
> To the moon and back, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3


	11. I Might Cry If You Don't Come Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like things are getting serious in the Wilson-Barnes household! There's a limit in where a partner can be protective and it seems as if Bucky knows it! But is that going to stop him from feeling that way? Well, find out in this chapter of Sam and Bucky's quarantine stories!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ch 10) Ames_comet- Thank you so much! Glad you like it <3 and lol I've been trying for too long

“Jamie no. I gotta get up.” 

“Huunnngh, no ya don’t.” Bucky planted kisses along Sam’s neck, going past his naval area when he started going down.

Sam relented on the struggle for a small moment to sit back and watch Bucky try and convince Sam to stay home. He would love to stay here with Bucky and fuck him into oblivion but duty calls whenever, not just when it’s convenient. Carol sent him the summary of what was happening seven minutes ago, calling it an urgent need of his presence. 

However, Bucky didn’t seem to care. He just mumbled something about there being a million Avengers and some non-affiliated supes running around, they could just ask Daredevil. It was hard to argue with a 260 lbs man who was kissing you as sweetly as a new lovers daydream. Which reminds Sam-

“Why do you have your arm on? Did you really wake up just to put on your arm and try to keep me here?” 

Bucky lazily lifted his head from Sam midsection, a smirk playing at his lips. “Maybe. Sam stay, this our first night together in weeks. Just tell them we’re doing something important,” Bucky moved so that he was lying level with Sam, his head just underneath and kissed Sam’s jawline. “Surely a selfless man can be selfish once, as a treat.” 

Sam regarded Bucky for a moment, casting a sad smile in his direction before silently getting up from the bed, leaving his comfort there, taking Bucky’s festering disappointment with him. Bucky’s right. That there’s other supes. One’s that would jump to finally get a mission of this magnitude on their record. He also knew that Tony and Steve’s oath proclaiming they were out of the game only applied to certain things because truth be told, heroes can’t sit still and live while the world burns around them. Sam very clearly knows that Bucky is the same way, exceptionally polite as James and White Wolf; deadly, fearsome, and heroic as (Thee) Winter Soldier. A man worthy of all the love in the world. Which is how Sam can see through Bucky’s façade. Nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep Sam from walking into the lion’s den he barely escaped.

By the time Sam’s done dressing, Bucky was sitting at the window, cigarette in hand, staring wistfully out the window. No matter how long it’s been Sam’s not sure he’ll get over Bucky having short hair. He regretted not telling Bucky how he felt sooner, maybe he’d have more time to run his hands through those silky brunette locks. None of those regrets stopped Sam from coming up behind Bucky and running his hands through his hair. He rejoiced in the velvety feel of Bucky hair despite the lack of verbal response. Sam wanted to hear his voice before he left though so he ran his hands over Bucky’s shoulders, along his chest, down his arms, bringing them up to caress his neck. Eventually, Bucky lifted Sam’s hands from his body, annoyance plain as day woven across his face.  _ Still no response. _

“Hmph,” was all Sam could muster. There was nothing to speak upon than pain that had yet to be felt.

  
  


The drip-drop of coffee dripping burst through the silence like a metronome. Like a ticking clock counting down his sand. Soon he’d leave the house. Soon he’d leave Bucky behind. Soon. Each drip for a tear, each drop for his heart.

_ Drip. _

_ Drop. _

_ Why am I shivering when I’m not cold? _

He got off of the phone with Steve and Tony after going through the latest details, all the way down to what the henchmen were wearing. He turned the info into parasites letting the tiniest details live inside his brain. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Sam took one last look at the house. He walked through every room to make sure Bucky and Alpine would be okay without him. Sam knew that Bucky was a grown man more than capable of taking care of himself. Though that reasoning ultimately fell short in the long run. He hated this part about love. It wasn’t like he doesn’t fix the house up for Bucky regularly, like lifting small burdens daily was as easy as breathing. This burden wasn’t heavy, the same as usual. But if it was wasn’t heavy it wouldn’t be putting a strain on their relationship. Sam wouldn’t have to manually make himself breathe in and out. The feathery light pillows now sounded like cinder blocks, they landed harshly but only let out a soft thud when placed on the couch. 

_ In through your nose, out through your mouth. _

He ran his hand over the pillows taking into account each individual thread, how soft or hard it felt because he was scared too. That deep down inside the rebellious boy from Harlem was starting to crack. The grown man who looked at himself in the mirror one too many times was scared too. He’d given truth to the dreams of that scared Harlem boy whose nightmares were relabeled as fuel. By nature every so often the nightmares were bound to come back. Only this time did the nightmares make him want to recede. 

“Just let me go with. I can handle it. I promise,” Bucky begged from the doorway. He’d gotten dressed in his everyday clothes but switched his prosthetic out for one of his buffer arms. Unique to him, Sam noted, Bucky never looked out of time. The confusion and fear from the new age never took hold of Bucky. Simply reinvested itself into natural inquisitiveness whenever he was faced with something unknown. It wasn’t often that Bucky knew something about the twenty-first century that he didn’t but maybe that was what was so scary about this moment. Neither of them truly knew what the outcome would be.

Sam walked over to Bucky and slid his arms around Bucky’s waist, resting his temple against Bucky’s. Right now the only thing they could do was cherish these moments of bliss. The coffee had stopped dripping long ago but still, Sam was a man holding on for dear life. He swayed with Bucky to the sound of time running out.

_ Drip. _

_ Drop. _

When the hourglass was halfway full Sam whispered reassurances into Bucky’s ear. When it reached about twenty-five percent Sam turned the reassurances to promises. He kissed each promise because he didn’t have any coins to throw in a well, no well to discard his tears in, and no reason to call his bluff when they were in such a vulnerable state. Slow, warm, and steady his hand traveled up and down Bucky’s back. He felt Bucky’s tears grace his cheeks when he pulled him close.

_ Drip. _

_ … His heart was in his stomach. _

“I better see you at nine o’clock sharp then Wilson.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll cry. Like  _ really _ cry.” Bucky sniffed. “These are just because you held me too tight,” he explained. 

Sam considered his words. “Exactly at nine?”

“Not a second later.”

“Hmm… I always thought your eyes resembled the ocean.” 

Not a minute later the sound of the Aven-Jet neared their apartment building.  _ Time’s up. _ Sam kissed Bucky and broke the embrace. Picking up his duffle bag, he headed out the door. Even though he was almost blinded by the bright light coming from the Aven-Jet, Sam could see Wanda waving from the opening and Vision’s arms as he dropped down a ladder. Sam made haste to climb but glanced back one last time.

_ Time’s up. _

_ No, there’s a grain left. _

“Sorry if I held on too tight!” He yelled. He really was, how could they have ever known it would lead to this?

Through the blinding lights and mess of cars, Sam could see Bucky laugh. “If it’s any consolation your hands were gentle!” Bucky yelled back.

Amazing how those words placed Sam’s heart right back where it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaand we're back folks! I know I went on a small hiatus but I think that it was for the better. I've been reading other writing, looking at my other otp's, and in general creating a better headspace. I learned quite a bit about our fandom though that I will admit I don't like. But that doesn't matter because I'm here too and I would rather spread positivity than whatever nonsense some may spit. So if you're looking for a safe space away from the drama, I'm here! Character flaws are important but never have I seen people hate a fictional character so viscerally! I like em all loves and I try to include everybody in my fics even if they're not the stars. 
> 
> Dashingly, ObviouslyOtter xoxo <3


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